Bow for violin.

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Instrument

Bow

Instrument Family

Bows

Date Made

19th century

Description

Physical description: Octagonal, concave stick is probably made of ironwood (?) or dark pernambuco (?) and ends in a fish-shaped head. The rounded ebony frog has a large mother-of-pearl decorative eye and a silver (?) one-piece (combined) ferrule and slide with a rectangular hole in the bottom. It also has a silver (?) heelplate. The cylindrical button is made of reddish-brown wood and has two rings. The nipple is very neatly made. Measurements: Weight: 57.5g (some hair missing). Hair length: 645mm. Balance point: 305mm. Head height: 16.6mm. Head width: 11.3mm. Face length: 25.1mm. Tip diameter: 6.6mm. Frog diameter: 8.25mm. Nipple range: 0.9 to 1.1mm. Period of oscillation: 1.41. Distance from pivot to tail: 70.0mm. Button length: 23.5mm. Ferrule width: 11.85mm. Frog + stick height: 26.5mm. Frog top length: 41.7mm. Inscriptions: There is no clear inscription, but there is something that looks like a "7" on the head wedge and two short lines, one shorter than the other on headface under the hair. These lines might be scratches, but look as if they could have been put there intentionally. Decorative features: The head is shaped like the head of a fish with mother-of-pearl and ebony circular eyes, a carved mouth, nostrils and gills of fins. The button is split. The top edge of the frog is slightly uneven where slivers have broken off, especially on the thumb side. there is no ferrule wedge making the ferrule loose on the tongue of the frog. Current ownership: Lent by H. Allen.

Notes

Brenda Neece, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004.

Provenance

on loan to the Collection.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

2009

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