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Scan 144
An encyclopedia of the violin
15 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 116. See the scan on archive.org.
1Johann Christoph, a highly skilled bow maker who worked more than five years with Vuillaume.
2Karl Albert, another greatly esteemed bow maker.
3Philipp Paul, son of Franz Albert II, who established himself as a bow maker in 1897, and has acquired an enviable reputation.
4Panormo, Georges Louis, 1774 to 1842. Son of Vincenzo Panormo, and also a violin and guitar maker, although his bows have made his reputation. Panormo was the successor of John Dodd, the famous English maker.
5Pecate, Dominique, 1810 to 1874. An apprentice to J. B. Vuillaume from 1826 to 1837, after which he established himself as a bow maker. His sticks equal, and in some ways surpass, those of Tourte. Unfortunately he seldom used a distinguishing trade-mark, making recognition of his work possible only to experts.
6Persodt.
7Pfretzchner, Herman Richard, 1857. An excellent bow maker, first a pupil of his father, and later of J. B. Vuillaume in Paris. In 1880 he established his own business, working on the Tourte and Voirin models. He created the Wilhelmji bow which is used by the greatest artists. His sticks are not varnished and bear the name H. R. Pfretzchner.
8Sartory, ——, Paris. An excellent bow maker and pupil of his father. He went to Paris in 1890 to Charles Peccatte (not "Peccate"), then to Alfred Lamy and in 1893 established his own business. His bows are marked "Sartory."
9Schwartz, George Frederic, 1785 to 1849. Son and pupil of Bernhard Schwartz. He assumed charge of his father's business in 1821, making exclusively bows, trade-marked "Schwartz Strassbourg." They were formerly in great demand, although they appear a little too heavy for use at the present time.
10Sirjean, ——, Paris. A bow maker of great distinction who established himself in Paris. Little is known of his antecedents or career.
11Tourte, François, 1747 to 1835. The "Stradivarius" of the art of bow making. He was originally a watchmaker, and after working at this trade for eight years joined his father and brother in making bows. The painstaking accuracy learned at watchmaking was of such great benefit to him at his new trade, that in a short time he attained great results and rose to be one of the best masters. At first he used the staves of old sugar barrels for his bows, which he sold for from twenty to thirty sous. He soon found out however that the principal part of a good bow was the wood, and after experimenting with different kinds, he selected Pernambuco (Brazil wood). This was in 1775 to 1780, and after that time he worked ceaselessly to improve his bows and at last gave them their present form, receiving—instead of twenty sous—fifteen Louis d'Or for each one. Every bow not entirely faultless was destroyed. He never varnished his bows but only rubbed them with pumice powder and oil. At the age of seventy-seven he was still making bows, and familiarly known as "Tourte le jeune" (Tourte the young).
12Tubbs, London. A family of prominent bow makers for four generations. The name of the present firm is James Tubbs and Son, [address hidden] 94, London. All the bows made by members of this famous family are of the highest grade, and greatly sought after by collectors and artists.
13Ullman, Georges, Milan.
14Voirin, François Nicolas, 1833 to 1885. Brother of Joseph Voirin. After learning the art of violin making, he came to Vuillaume in 1855 and stayed with him for fifteen years, after which time he established himself as a bow maker. In France he was given the title "the modern Tourte." English dealers and violin makers made tempting offers to him to work for them, but he refused them all, saying that his work belonged to his country. His bows carry the trade-mark "F. N. Voirin." Among his pupils may be mentioned the famous maker Alfred Lamy.
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