Non Stamped Markneukirchen Violin Bow – Sterling Silver Mount Blind Eye Frog c. 1910 – Beautiful Bow!

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French bows get all of the glory, but Markneukirchen has produced some of the nicest bows for over a 250-year span. As the violin trade grew in the Markneukirchen area and the fame for their quality grew, so did the need for fine bows to be sold with instruments. The location, hard-working immigrant craftsmen, and trade routes to bring raw products from other areas of the world like ebony and pernambuco, helped launch this city into the instrument hub of Germany. Many shops started to branch off and concentrate just on bow work. This is one of those bows, with no known maker branded or stamped on the bow. The stick is round-section, beautiful pernambuco wood that is medium brown in color with stunning grain. The wood was probably harvested in Brazil in the mid to late 1800’s and transported to Germany and air dried for another 10-20 years at a shop before being selected for a bow. The head of the bow has a crisp vertical line up to the peak and appears perfectly proportioned. The firm stick is well metered from the tip to the frog and light in the hand. We have replaced the silver tinsel wrapping, which was far too gone to save, with new tinsel and a leather thumb. The blind eye ebony frog and endscrew are original, very classic, and the mother-of-pearl slide is beautiful; original to the frog and has a taper to the slide. The pearl is stunning – it shimmers in green/blue and pink hues. The solid endscrew cap is also sterling and shows signs of normal playing wear but also a double ring around the collar. This is no commercial stick. Great workmanship of a bygone era when young apprentices worked long days (farmers hours), perfected their craft, and didn’t worry about the acknowledgment of making such gorgeous bow. The bow handles well and feels great in the hand. The stick is pernambuco specie, sterling silver looks great with its age. This stick is looking for a new home in someone’s case and better than that, rosining up the bow and making some music.

Weight fully haired 59.9 grams.