Violin Bow Stamped TOURTE – Markneukirchen, Germany circa 1890-1900

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Stamped:

We have for sale a Markneukirchen violin bow, an older bow very well constructed in sterling silver mount. The bow has no real makers’ name stamped on the bow and no country of origin. Tourte was a famous Parisian maker and violin shop owner of the 19th century. His bows can go for 10’s of thousands of dollars. Our bow doesn’t have that kind of provenance but is genuinely an outstanding stick. This Tourte stamped bow was made in a workshop in or around the town of Markneukirchen. Historically, Markneukirchen was the German hub of the string trade for centuries. Because of the tremendous growth in violin making during the 1800’s the bow trade followed and became just as well known. In the mid 1800’s through 1920 many bow making families flourished, employing dozens of craftsmen to meet the need for bows.

This is one of those bows made in a workshop just before the turn of the century. This is another bow from my collection of over 40 years, living and growing up in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. As a teenager my father would take me to many estate sales and auctions. We would purchase dozens of old violins/violas/cellos and their bows. Sometimes bunches of old bows all tied up for sale. I’m on a one bow per week pace to restore each stick in the next decade.

The pernambuco is a darker older chocolate color, in octagonal section, and is sterling silver mounted. The wood is tight grained in its make up. It’s old wood, rich in deep dark color, firm and dense allowing for a thinner overall width of the stick. The bow is simply stamped “TOURTE” on the player’s side of the bow. I have meticulously gone over the bow, giving it a new tip facial in bone and I replaced the leather and the sterling silver winding. The winding and the leather were toast and needed to be replaced. The frog is in the Markneukirchen style of the early 1900’s. The frog screams of old classic German work, indicative of frogs made prior to 1900. It is half lined, blind eye, elongated, has a new abalone pearl slide, and is full of natural wear. The frog was so nice, and the prior slide sunk and chewed up, it needed to be replaced. The sterling button is three-piece and has a double turn in the collar with an abalone pearl eye to finish it off. My guess is the stick did not need the extra weight of a fully lined heel. The bow is in better than very good condition. A piece of history, pernambuco from the 1800’s for sure, a well thought out and incremented stick made by an outstanding craftsman that will make a fantastic violin come alive with quick articulation from the bow arm and create great sound.

Weight fully haired 57.9 grams