Description

The only gold and tortoiseshell bow by this maker for sale in the UK I have wanted for some time to offer a Richaume since I admire his output. The problem here is that his production is quite small.

Here I am presenting a Gold and Tortoiseshell example, one of only sixty that he made in his lifetime.

In 1957 Igor Oistrakh bought a Silver and Ivory bow directly from Richaume and showed his father David. David liked the bow so much that his son gave it to him and he used this bow exclusively until his death in 1974.

It is also interesting to note from Richaume’s account book the number of top class players of the period that were buying and commissioning bows from him, a true sign of a great maker. An interesting detail here is that, to my knowledge, this is the only Richaume with a split back-plate (half gold half mother of pearl). This bow has been studied by Jean-Francois Raffin and is a very fine example of this maker’s output.

Peter Hembrough Bows are offering this bow for sale in the knowledge that this bow is from his best period.

Playing Characteristics

An extremely beautiful stick, this bow has very crisp articulation and brings out the higher end of the acoustic range regarding tonal projection. If these bows were good enough for Oistrakh then I suppose there is not that much more to say.

It is very enjoyable to play and does have its own unique feel, a joy in all ways and probably the prettiest bow I have at the moment for sale.

Condition

The head is splined and for added security has a slim nylon sleeve near the head, otherwise this bow is in lovely condition.

In the current market place this bow with no damage would retail in the 20k to 25k region, an unusual and highly collectable bow by one of the top four from the last century.

It is important to note that despite being sixty years old this bow is in pristine condition and the tortoiseshell frog still has sharp edges. A rare bow with fabulous playing credentials.