Anyone taking closer looks at German bows at all?

[Guido]

Got a nice nickel mounted German bow here (no stamp) with a couple of features that I'd like to share and ask if/ where this may have been seen before?

Stick and frog have assembly marks "II" both on the stick and on the frog. However, on the stick the mark is hidden midway under the grip and on the frog its on the front of the tongue. See photo. Both of these placements are a bit unusual I think.

Then, the grip was originally actual whalebone (fluorescent) and affixed at the frog end under the leather with a pin, that is, a proper pin like in the one-piece heal plate. I attach a photo of the pin I pulled out.

[Brad Dorsey]

It is very common to find the Roman numeral under the wrapping.  I don't recall ever seeing one on the end of the tongue, or seeing a wrapping fastened with a pin.  The frog end of the wrapping doesn't require much fastening other than the leather.

[fiddlecollector]

The only maker that put numerals on the end of the tongue that i know of  for sure is Etienne Pajeot on some of  his top end bows.(also on the eyelet and front end of the button collar) I may have noticed it on later French makers like Voirin /Lamy but maybe my memory is playing tricks. Can you show photos of the frog from the side tec.. and the head?

[Blank face]

It was a common way to secure whalebone purfling with that kind of pins, often at both ends. Especially if it was black whalebone only, and this often results in big gaps between the windings due to shrinkage. Also to insert the end of a metal winding in a drilled hole.

I've also seen these roman numbers scratched in at a lot of unusual places, at the side facettes of the metal slide, even at the heel plates. Old Mittenwald bows had very small numbers at the adjuster screws, I think Kass mentioned that in his essays and I've seen that one or two times.

There is also a widespread misbelieve that these numbers indicate cheap mass production, so possibly some shops tried to place them at hidden places.

[Guido]

10 hours ago, Brad Dorsey said:

 The frog end of the wrapping doesn't require much fastening other than the leather.

Mind you, a good silver or whalebone wrapping will last decades, whereas leathers are replaced more routinely, sometimes every couple of years. And then it's useful that the frog end of the wrapping is secure.

[Guido]

8 hours ago, fiddlecollector said:

The only maker that put numerals on the end of the tongue that i know of  for sure is Etienne Pajeot on some of  his top end bows.(also on the eyelet and front end of the button collar) I may have noticed it on later French makers like Voirin /Lamy but maybe my memory is playing tricks. Can you show photos of the frog from the side tec.. and the head?

This is what I mean. If it was a French bow, somewhat unusual observations turn into strong leads for identification.

I find it sad, that German trade bows are just this amorphous anonymous body, no matter how much idiosyncrasy one may observe in any one specimen.

This one here, not that I would have any hope finding out "who" may have made it, was clearly made with love. Another example is the domed backing of the pearl slide. Just doesn't seem to gel with purely commercial production.

[Guido]

8 hours ago, fiddlecollector said:

Can you show photos of the frog from the side tec.. and the head?

Sorry, forgot in the last post. Here are some photos. The screws in the underslide seem to be silver. No pins in the beautifully double cut adjuster. Nice big and very crisp camber.

[fiddlecollector]

Its a nice looking bow. Some German bows are very beautiful and unbranded  ,just a shame that often you can never know who made  a lot of them.