K. Gerhard Penzel – Sterling Silver Violin Bow, circa. 1970-80

click picture to enlarge

The Penzel name has been associated with fine bow making for over 100 years. First was Emil Max Penzel, the great uncle of the present business owners. Max started the family business in Erlbach, Germany which is in the Vogtland/Sachsen area, a major hub of musical instrument making.
Kurt Gerhard Penzel (1929-2017) trained with his uncle Max at an early age and after more years of training and apprenticeships in bow making took over the family business and moved it to Stuttgart (1956). In 1974 he moved it to Ostrach, Germany where the family continues its bow making tradition with son Roland and grandson Matthias. Our bow, stamped “K. Gerhard Penzel,” was made in the 1970-to 1980’s. It is a beautiful darker colored pernambuco specie violin bow in near mint condition. The bow is similar to the No. 3 bow model 240 handmade violin bow made today in the Penzel workshop by Kurt Gerhard’s grandson Matthias. The stick is of octagonal section and finished in silver winding with a leather thumb. The ebony frog is very classy with a blind eye mounted in sterling silver. The bow is well balanced and is a pleasure to play.

Weight fully haired 60.8 grams.