Late 19th Century Violin Bow Stamped TOURTE- Markneukirchen circa 1890-1900 -CURRENTLY OUT ON TIRAL-

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

Our Tourte bow is from the period of Markneukirchen’s heyday. François Xavier Tourte (1747-1835) was a very famous bow maker who lived and worked in Paris from the late 1770’s into the 1830s. Tourte was consider the finest bow maker in France and made significant contributions to establish his style as the pinnacle of modern bows. Our bow is a trade bow made in a workshop that had no problem marketing the bow with the “Tourte” name stamped on the stick to help it sell. This was a common practice, especially from the mid 1800’s into the mid-20th century, with German bows.

I replaced the nickel silver wire winding and the leather thumb grip. The tip facial was restored with a piece of casein that gives an ivory look. Casein was developed as an early plastic in the 1930’s and has a faint ivory grain. The tip of this bow has a beautiful bull nose look. A strong feature upturn for the tip of a bow. The stick is round in section and darker chocolate in color. The ebony frog flanges towards the base of the frog. It is a handmade frog and a player will surely feel the wide bottom. It is a great feel in the hand. The frog is all original, with the bow having an overall weight of 57.1. The stick is round section pernambuco and completed in nickel silver fittings. The heel is one-piece and held to the frog with pin work, not screws. The lining is also held in place with pin work. The frog has single mother-of-pearl eyes, and the ferrule is a little broader to mate with the wider bottom. This gives a bigger ribbon to the hair. A three-piece button completes the frog. The button has a double-turned collar, a great detail. This bow is easily over a 120 years old and Wow! does it play well. The bow has flexibility and nice strength. The stick shows natural patina wear. Nickel bows were the norm for workshop bows during this period. Nickel silver is a much cheaper material made of 65% copper, 18% nickel, and 17% zinc. Nickel made sense on a workshop bow. Players loved this bow and took great care of it for possibly three generations. The stick is in fantastic condition and ready for another 100 plus years. This is a bow with Markneukirchen workmanship and German attention to detail.

Weight fully haired 57.1 grams