Louis Morizot Pére began his training with Eugene Cuniot at the large Cuniot-Hury shop. At the turn of the 20th century, he continued his apprenticeship at the C.N. Bazin shop, a common step for young bow makers perfecting their skill. Around World War I he went to work with the great Sartory, the final pass in his formal training. He established his own shop in Mirecourt in 1919 and very early on his sons began assisting him.
By 1925 the Morizot family was able to produce a large number of well made bows, allowing them to supply a large number of bows to various dealers in France and beyond. In 1933 he incorporated his five sons into a shop known as Louis Morizot & fils (Louis Morizot and Sons).
Together they produced great numbers of bows of consistent quality, frequently with superb playing characteristics. The bows of the Morizot family were sold at such firms as Serdet, Collin-Mezin, René Bernardel, Emil Boulangeot, R & M Millant and many others. Many of Louis Morizot Pére’s bows were made for, and branded by, such makers as Eugene Sartory and Victor Fetique. The Morizot bows in our collection are of their finest quality, some of them in pristine condition. They are well balanced and responsive, and represent classic French work of the 20th century.
For over 100 years, W.E. Hill & Sons was synonymous with superb quality. Between the World Wars, the Hill shop ramped up production and made thousands of excellent bows, solidifying their reputation as the standard bearers of English bowmaking. Fritz Kreisler regularly performed on Hill bows, including his famed recordings. One of the bowmakers, William Retford Jr., was trained by his father, one of the finest craftsmen at the workshop. Retford Jr. was with the Hills from 1919-1960, producing bows of superb quality during his tenure. This gold mounted bow, brought to the sales floor in 1938, is beautifully crafted and possesses all the qualities that gave the Hills such a fine reputation.
Lapierre began his training at the Thibouville-Lamy firm as a young teenager before working with Francois Lotte, Louis Bazin and the brothers Morizot, among others. By 1948 he established his own shop in his native Mirecourt. This bow is in excellent condition and pulls a smooth, colorful tone.
Poirson was a pupil of the great Nicolas Maire and then went on to work with J.B.Vuillaume where he got to know the great bowmakers of the time. After Vuillaume’s death he worked with Gand and Bernardel. In 1880 at the age of only 29, he had set up his own workshop. This bow has exceptional playing qualities and we consider it an excellent value in that it is nickel mounted.
This beautiful Nürnberger bow has an elegant gold mounted ebony frog and is in exceptional condition. For more information see our discussion of the work of the Nürnbergers in this section.
The Morizot family of bow makers was founded by Louis Morizot and continued by his five sons, all master bow makers. In addition to making bows sold with the L.Morizot stamp, they made fine bows for dealers and shops.
This bow was made for Lucien Schmitt in Grenoble.
Made by Edgar Bishop. Bishop began his career at Hills right after the first world war in 1918 and soon became one of the best maker in that important workshop. Along with Albert Leeson he was responsible for many of the beautiful gold and tortoise fleur d’lys bows.
One of the finest contemporary Parisian makers, Barthe has won prizes in various competitions, including in 2016 in Paris for a viola bow. After studying violin for several years, Barthe embarked on his bowmaking career at the young age of 16, apprenticing with Gilles Duhaut. He perfected his skills with Stephane Thomachot and Jean-Jacques Millant. Since 1997 he worked in Paris, where he continued to seek the advice of the inimitable Bernard Millant. Barthe’s work is reminiscent of historic French making, yet possesses distinct characteristics all his own. The bows are remarkably responsive and supple, drawing a warm, clean sound. They are excellent for any young musician seeking a fabulous modern bow at a reasonable price.
For over fifty years Frank Passa’s San Francisco violin shop was one of the most important on the west coast. In 1978 he brought in Reid Kowallis and Morgan Andersen as bow makers, who had just graduated from the violin making school in Salt Lake City, UT. They made superb bows which were branded F.PASSA SF. Between ’78 and ’82, Reid won several medals at VSA competitions. This is an especially nice example of Reid’s elegant work and is gold mounted.
In 1884, at the age of 22, Eugene Cuniot took over his father’s firm, later adding his wife’s well known last name to his brand. Like most makers around the turn of the century, he was greatly influenced by C.N. Bazin, both in style and business model. Thus he had many archetiers in his workshop and supplied bows to dealers and violin shops throughout France. Despite having up to 12 makers working for him he was able to maintain quite a high level of quality. One of the bow makers, Emile Francois Ouchard, took over the firm in 1910 after Cuniot died. This is a fine bow and is lively and flexible.
Lapierre began his training at the Thibouville-Lamy firm as a young teenager before working with Francois Lotte, Louis Bazin and the brothers Morizot, among others. By 1948 he established his own shop in his native Mirecourt. This bow is in excellent condition and was made in 1954.
E.F.Ouchard is considered one of the central figures in French bow making. He trained with E.Cuniot starting in 1886 eventually taking over his firm (Cuniot-Hury) Over the years he trained a number of important makers including his son Emile Auguste. This bow bears the stamp “A.C.” (Albert Claudot). It has excellent playing qualities, strong with a quick response. and is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity from Raffin of Paris..
Pierre Nehr studied bow making for five years with his brother Jean-Pascal and received his diploma from the bow making school in Mirecourt in 1998. Since then he has received awards at numerous competitions all around the world. Pierre Nehr has become one of the most respected bow makers in France.
After winning a number of gold medals in International bow making competitions, Morgan Andersen has become one of the most important bow makers of his generation.
Read the article on Morgan Andersen here.
C.Hans Karl Schmidt is generally considered Germany’s finest contemporary bow maker. His work is always beautiful and elegant.
He studied with his father-in-law Kurt Dölling from 1955-56 then working in Döllings workshop and also with Emil Kuhnel until 1969 when he opened his own workshop in Dresden. At that point he had already developed an international reputation and won awards and medals at international competitions.
One of the best American bowmakers, Raguse has made over 1100 bows. He studied with Lloyd Liu and Bill Salchow before setting up on his own in Chicago, and later in Michigan. He has won a dozen awards at various competitions, including gold medal at the VSA in 1980. This bow is an excellent example of Raguse's work.
Barbiero was a conservatory trained violist, but was always interested in woodworking, even from an early age. He started bow making on his own but then trained with Christian Barthe, Alfredo Clementi and J.F. Refin. He opened his own shop in 1997 and his work has become popular with a number of important soloists.