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Scan 142
An encyclopedia of the violin
38 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 114. See the scan on archive.org.
1CHAPTER VI
3THE VIOLIN BOW
5EUROPEAN BOW MAKERS
7The following is as complete a list of the most famous bow makers as is possible, in view of the meager sources of information:
9ADAM, JEAN DOMINIQUE, 1795 to 1864. Pupil and successor to his father Jean Adam. Only the best of his work was labeled with his trade-mark. His bows with an eight-cornered stick were very much in demand.
11BAROUX, ——. Very little is known about Baroux beyond the fact that he was an extremely skillful maker.
13BURR, ——, Paris.
15CASADESUS, ——, Paris.
17DODD, JOHN, 1752 to 1839. This distinguished bow maker is esteemed as much in England as Tourte is in France. His bows are fully equal to those of his French rival, even if they do not attain the same degree of elegance. His sticks have the one fault of not being long enough. Although he was always working, and was often given financial aid by rich people, he died in a workhouse at the age of eighty-seven. He never had a pupil, as he did not want the secret of his pattern known to any one. Many times, although in dire need of funds, he refused offers of 1000 pounds sterling for a copy of his pattern. At the present time his bows are in great demand at high prices.
19FONCLAUZE, HEHRY, Mirecourt, about 1812.
21FONCLAUZE, JOSEPH, 1800 to 1864. One of the best French bow makers. He was trained by Dominique Pecate in Mirecourt and in 1820 went to Paris, working first for Lupot, then for Tourte, and, finally, for ten years for J. B. Vuillaume. In 1840 he started to work independently. Most of his bows carry his name as trade-mark.
23LAFLEUR, JACQUES, 1760 to 1832. Lafleur's bows are better known than his violins. He was an apprentice under François Tourte. His bows are noted for their elasticity and lightness.
25LAFLEUR, JOSEPH RENÉ. Son, pupil and successor to Jacques Lafleur. He was originally a violinist and only later turned to bow making. Several fine specimens of his work are in the museum of the Paris Conservatory; also a bow with a flat stick.
27LAMY, ALFRED JOSEPH, 1850. One of the best French bow makers of all time. In 1862 he started as an apprentice with Ch. A. Husson and left him in 1868 to work with Goutrot in Château-Thierry. From 1877 to 1885 he was with Voirin, after whose death he worked independently, always considering Voirin his real teacher. In 1889, he received the silver and gold medals at the Paris Exposition.
29LUPOT, FRANÇOIS, 1774 to 1837. One of the sons of François I, and a brother of Nicolas. He was principally a bow maker, although he claims to be a pupil of Stradivarius, but this has always been questioned. His bows are considered among the best in France.
31MARIE, NICOLAS, Mirecourt.
33NURNBERGER BROTHERS.
35Franz Albert I, son of Karl Gottlieb Nurnberger, was a widely known bow maker, and founder of a bow-making school in Markneukirchen where he was the instructor for twenty-five years.
37Franz Albert II established himself as a maker in 1880, and used Vuillaume, Tubbs and Tourte bows as models. He is now one of the most prominent bow makers in the world.
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