Josef Sandner Engraved Sterling Silver Violin Bow – Bubenreuth circa 2015

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The Sandner family name goes back almost 300 years in the art of violin and bow making. The family came from Schönbach, and Ober-Schönbach, Czechoslovakia. There are over 60 families recorded with the surname that made instruments and bows. They originated in the Schönbach area of Czechoslovakia which is about 22-27 miles from the current German border. Because of wars and better economics many of these families left and migrated into what was known in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s as Bohemia. Many in the family also became engaged in producing necks, scrolls, pegs, fingerboards, and chin rests for the trade. This was an especially lucrative business, making parts in the later 19th century and early first third of the 20th century.

Our sterling mounted violin bow was made by Josef Sandner, Bubenreuth, Germany. The bow is pernambuco, octagonal in section, and the sterling silver is engraved on the frog, the button, and the tip. The stick is well thought out and has a tight dense grain; the pernambuco is very impressive. This pernambuco was harvested in the early to mid-1900’s and arrived as logs, first for the bark to be use in the tanning process for royal reds, purples, and brilliant colors, and then the wood to be made into bows. The logs would have been cut into portion size billets, stacked very carefully in a bow maker’s barn or workshop to dry for 15-20 years before being used for a bow. The pernambuco is in octagonal facets and shows a masculine tip that bow carries these strong lines throughout. The frog is a Parisian eye model, and the button is three pieces, the silver is engraved and with the center ebony section having 2 mm. pearl eyes on every facet. A professional level violin bow, firm in its makeup, and ready for a serious player.

Weight fully haired 60.5 grams