L. Bausch Workshop Trade Viola Bow Klingenthal/Saxony circa 1885-1900

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Stamped:

The Bausch name is very important in the bow making world and lineage. Ludwig Bausch began making bows in the late 1820’s. What followed was four generations of bow makers. I believe this bow was made with the L. BAUSCH brand/stamp on our bow but made later in a shop around or north of Markneukirchen using the brand.

In the late 1800’s there were about 70 independent bow makers working in shops in Markneukirchen itself and 100 other firms located in the surrounding communities. There were 42 registered journeymen, 44 apprentices as well as 76 various suppliers who did not belong to the cooperative of bow makers. They produced or helped produce about 18,000 pernambuco bows on a yearly basis. Wow! This bow fits, coming from one of these shops in or around Markneukirchen. The Bausch workshops ended in Leipzig in the early 1870’s though the famous name and brands went on.

This bow is well made but from a little later period in the area I described earlier. The bow is beautiful, handsome, and handmade. It has received much care and fine work while in the shop. First the stick needed a good cleaning once the old winding was taken off. I think it took me two attempts to really get the stick clean. The bow has a new facial tip, a new nickel silver winding, and a new leather thumb grip. The head of the bow is fairly erect and turns up at the last 6.0 mm. The tip of the bow has a pushed-up nose effect. It is a strong head with large chamfers on the back of the head. The camber or curve in the stick is gradual and well measured. The blind eye frog is just that, there are no mother-of-pearl eyes and no silver heel plate on the back of the frog. It has an ebony frog that has very rounded edges. The half-lined frog feels great in the hand with a rounded ferrule and beautiful mother-of-pearl slide. The lining is attached with a single silver pin and the end button is a solid cap. The pernambuco wood is a dark chocolate color with a touch of red/ brown. The stick is outstanding, easy to handle, and brought out the bottom end on some violas I play tested on. If you’re looking for a slightly lighter viola bow and an older well-made bow, this is it.

Weight fully haired 68.5 grams