L. BAUSCH – LEIPZIG Late 19th Century Lightweight Violin Bow -CURRENTLY OUT ON TIRAL-

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This is an excellent older bow from Leipzig, Germany. In Leipzig, for almost a century and a half, instrument trade shops, violin making as well as shops specializing in bows, thrived until the start of World War II. These small shops were turned into places to make items to support the German war machine. The city was totally laid to ruin by allied bombing by 1944. The Bausch family had for a little over a century helped impact bow making in Germany. They were meticulous in their handmade bows and the shop continued into the late 1800’s with another famous bow making family, the Knopf family, taking over the head of the workshop well into the 1900’s.

This bow arrived in my collection when I was a teenager growing up in the New York City/New Jersey metropolitan area. My grandmother taught me and wrote down the things to look for in bows, especially names found on German bows that I would want to collect. She was a player in the city and had many contacts with string players and instrument dealers. My dad spent the time with me to track items and make phone calls. This mostly happened in the late spring and summer as we used yellow pads and maps to sketch out our travels as he helped me purchase instruments and bows. For a decade we collected many items, especially bows, that filled up big boxes and a spare room in our home. 45 years later I’m getting to work on these bows.

I spent many hours restoring this pernambuco bow because it is well made and will help create a great sound on a violin. The stick, which was black and full of dirt, was given the spa treatment in cleaning. The pernambuco wood is old stuff for sure- tight grain harvested and made into a bow in the late 1800’s. The wood is a chocolate color and is in great condition. The color is stunning, and the bow is completed in round section. The bow received a new tip, new sterling silver winding, and a new leather thumb grip. The bow maker determines the stick’s section while working with the wood. In bow making, the maker determines whether to keep the original first 12.0 cm. octagonal area of the bow (where the frog rests) and continue the facets on the stick or change direction and go to the round (or egg) shape in the transitional area of the winding. This bow maker went round from the transition forward and it truly feels like a lightweight gem. It is firm with a little bit of flex. The frog is fully lined, and the sterling lining is attached to the ebony with silver pins – not screws. It has a traditional ebony frog having single mother-of-pearl eyes and a slightly flanged mother-of-pearl slide. The heel is one-piece, and it is finished off with a three-piece silver/ebony/silver button with a double turn in the silver button. The playability of the bow is excellent. The bow plays very easily. The weight is only felt at the frog. This is a beautiful 130-year-old German bow now in very good condition. I wish it could talk and let us know where it has been. The age of the stick helps the bow be handmade gem. It is in great condition and plays better than well. Sterling silver mounted, pernambuco, and round in section. This bow is ready for another generation to enjoy.

Weight fully haired 57.5 grams