Etienne Pajeot workshop circa 1835 probably by Nicolas Maire




This bow was 15mms too long for most violin cases, it has been shortened to the normal length that the Pajeot workshop provided to players in the 1830's with a long splice under the lapping.
The bow has a certificate from Raffin stating "school of Pajeot" circa 1835.  It is interesting to note that in the 1830's Nicolas Maire's business suffered to the extent that he was forced to work for Etienne Pajeot to survive.  It is Michael Taylor's view that this bow is by Maire for Pajeot, an opinion I agree with.  A really fantastic playing bow on a budget.....
This truly is a fabulous bow to play on from the golden era of bow making.
59g

A mint condition bow from 1830's for uk violinists from PHB!

£3,400

Mint condition Lifton Alligator skin double violin case arrives from Quebec





Peter Hembrough bows have a small selection of retro cases as well as new Musafia cases.


Made in 1940 a Lifton violin case with Alligator exterior was a sign as a New York violinist that you had made it!  Complete with French gold fittings and a plush burgundy interior it really is a superb case for the voilinist in need of taking two violins to work.

Francois Nicolas Voirin circa 1870

  A recent arrival from Montreal, here is a beautiful Vuillaume style Voirin.   Always a delight to play on this bow is in exquisite condition.  There is one very slight bit of damage to the audience side of the head when a poor rehair has pushed the mortice open causing a small section of the lower cheek of the side to drift away.  This section was reglued and is of no concern.   Otherwise, this lovely bow is in very fine condition.  A delight in the hand when playing this is ideal for a recitalist or someone working in chamber orchestras.  Increasingly rare to the market place this maker is becoming quite difficult to source, here is a bold and stunning example. 


£8,500

Francois Nicolas Voirin cira 1875

New to the collection is this beautiful Voirin in fine condition but for a small clavette repair to the head, and, characteristically for this very popular maker a bit of wear to the handle.   By this time Voirin had set up his own workshop at 3 Rue-de-Bouloi in Paris and was at the zenith of his making abilities.   





 From a playing point of view it is difficult to beat a fine Voirin for agility, amongst other fine attributes.   A must for any chamber orchestra player they are a superb creation totally different to the hatchet shaped Peccatte model, a much more delicate but strong concept.  From a construction point of view the way Voirin works the stick is of the highest calibre, a great maker with a unique feeling in the hand for the violinist.                              As a young player in one of the better chamber orchestras in London I relied heavily on a Voirin very similar to this one.    More complex moments that repertoire are eased a great deal when using a bow of this type.









This bow, correct in all parts and of the most desirable pernambuco is ready for a new owner and for a player on a strict budget I would say this would be a wonderful companion through a concert playing career.  Throughout a long playing career I have always had the highest regard for this maker, what a wonderful gift he left to countless violinists over the years!

£4,500

Typical payment structure would be initial £2,100 followed by a further twenty-four monthly payments of £100 via standing order.

Sartory cello bow pays a quick visit

Made from his best deep red pernambuco and from perhaps his best period of circa 1914, this bow was destined to not stay in the collection for too long.  In the event it managed to stay for four days before an international chamber musician based in Spain bought the bow.  Increasingly difficult to source Peter Hembrough Bows pride themselves on being able to find the most desirable bows at the most competitive prices.  A lucky new owner indeed for this bow, do you not think?

Emile Auguste Ouchard 1945 Silver and Ivory

I am delighted to be able to offer this superb example of this wonderful maker, in my opinion one of the top five from the twentieth century. Truly dedicated to his craft he would only make from the very best pernambuco and his bows show his tremendous strength of character.

Many of the most respected experts, amongst them notably the late William Salchow, share an opinion that Emile Auguste’s bows from his mature period (from 1940 onwards) are superior to Sartory’s output, I agree with this but am surprised just how few violinists are aware of his work. It is tempting to believe that the best bow making died out at the turn of the last century (1900s) but when this bow is viewed and played on you realise that every century brings forth a small group of master makers. The quality of the wood in this bow is of the highest order as is the choice of design. You get the feeling he is really searching for excellence with this bow.
It is interesting to note that when players criticised his bows Emile would say to them, ‘This is the stick, this is the frog, this is the hair, that’s the door!’ with an appropriate gesture. Before embarking upon making a bow he would bring down a bow blank with a crash onto his workbench, if the stick survived this only then would he make a bow out of it.

Sometimes when approaching a new bow purchase experience has shown me that sometimes the player is not really ready for the very best bow, in that they are inexperienced playing on bows of great stature. This bow towers above most bows and is looking for a new soloist owner!

Emile Auguste Ouchard at the time he made this bow.

In the early 1940′s Yehudi Menuhin became aware of his tremendous bow making capabilities and suggested that he work for a prestigious firm in New York. He was paid handsomely and during this period made many outstanding bows. One need only look at his order book to see that his clients included the very best virtuosi of the time. Together with J J Millant in my view these two makers tower over all others from the last half of the twentieth century.

In my job as a bow dealer over the period of a year you may see several hundred bows, the vast majority are fairly run of the mill and can be discounted immediately. However maybe once or twice a year you may be shown a bow of real importance, this is such a bow. Ouchard produced his best bows from 1940-1960, in my opinion his golden period is around 1945.

Playing Characteristics

Wonderful, this stick is a work of great artistry. Really this is for a top flight soloist, a powerful bow with amazing balance in the hand it is a joy to play – like many great bows it is slightly addictive.

Certificate

This bow has a certificate from Bernard Millant.

Condition

This stick is in lovely condition with lovely sharp edges to it, the head is pinned but the pins are hidden. The tremendously rare frog is in mint condition.

£8,000

Francois Xavier Tourte leaves for Tokyo

It was always going to happen!  Being such a rare and early example I knew that I would not own this bow for long.  I wish it a happy new life in Japan with where I hope it will play on a fine Cremonese instrument.
As you can see from this picture the bow has a tremendous line and style, oozing class.  Of course it was a joy to play on, utterly unique in feel it allowed you to phrase at ease with wonderful nuance.  From circa 1790 it is testament to the brilliance of these great Parisienne makers.

Regular visitors to this site shall be pleased to know that there are two wonderful bows soon to be offered for sale.  A wonderful circa 1850 Pierre Simon and an extremely rare Persoit.

Eugene Sartory circa 1940 Octagonal 60g

I am a life long admirer of Sartorys' work; the fact that he was a child prodigy bow maker plus the tremendous design of his bows is, to me, the reason he is the greatest twentieth century bow maker followed closely by Emile Auguste Ouchard.

In a career spanning over thirty years as a bow dealer I have sold many Sartory bows and having owned several I have never grown tired of playing on them. Despite being in a position to play on bows by many of the greatest makers, for general orchestral work I find Sartory is hard to beat.

As a young violinist I toured the world for seven years as part of the band for Shirley Bassey. In the band was a very experienced violinist with a stunning Enrico Rocca violin, truly one of the best violins I have ever seen. He played on a late Sartory very similar to this one. I used to look across at his bow and wish I could own one similar!

I am particularly pleased to be able to offer this bow, one of the last bows he made.

It was broken almost as soon as it was bought in 1940 and left in a case until it was offered to me recently. The stick, (apart from the break) frog and button are in mint condition. Indeed the frog still has sharp edges! Having just been restored this is the first time it has been played since 1940.

Weighing 60 grams it is beautifully balanced and if you allow the bow to guide you it is capable of extremely delicate passage work. A sensational late Sartory any violinist would be fortunate to own.

It has a break in the middle of the bow (see picture above) wonderfully restored, this break is utterly reliable.

£5,000

Michael J Taylor F X Tourte model

  Stunning bows totally hand made in all areas by Michael Taylor, a rare and beautiful bow that performs in a very similar way to a Tourte from this period.




















Eugene Sartory circa 1912

Here we have a superb top class example of Sartory at his zenith, using his best pernambuco correct in all parts with a super heel and button.
A tremendously versatile stick the dialogue through the hand to the player is a real delight. The bow is pinned but the pins are hidden, without this repair this bow would retail in the region of twenty-five thousand pounds sterling.

£9000

Emile Auguste Ouchard silver and ebony 1958

Emile Auguste playing the drum as a young boy, already working for his father Emile Francois his precocious talent was soon to utterly surpass his father.

Bows from his best period of 1940-1958 are very keenly collected for both their beauty and their playing credentials.

It is a great shame that this bow is bound near the tip since the bow is a wonderful example of this great makers craft.

£6,000


Note this bow is on the rental scheme

J. B. Vuillaume circa 1855 showing the hand of Maline

When Vuillaume sold a violin, he often offered one of his Stentor bows as part of the purchase price. They were made in Mirecourt mostly by the Maline, Pajeot or Francois Peccatte workshops.
This bow is from the Peccatte workshop with a particular red-brown pernambuco typical of this period. It is interesting to note that with the Stentor bows the makers were given more artistic freedom and the bows are often superb from a playing point of view. This bow has a clavette repair to the head but it is very secure and is of no real concern. The heel is particularly beautiful and the button still has its original shaft, rare indeed for a bow from 1855.

£4,000