I am particularly pleased to have a Tourte to offer for sale. They rarely come to the market place these days due to their high value and relative scarcity.

Having said that, he lived from 1748-1835 and it is thought that as many as eight hundred of his bows are still in existence. He is often called the Stradivari of the bow world and with good reason since he developed what we now think of as the modern bow after consultation with players like Viotti and Kreutzer.

When Menuhin’s father bought the Prince Khevenhuller 1733 Stradivari for his son, the dealer Hermann threw in an early Tourte (circa 1810) as part of the sale. Menuhin used this bow (with later frog and button by Retford whilst he worked at Hills) for all of his early recordings.

There are several intriguing aspects to this bow. Circa 1820 the head sustained damage. This can be deduced since when the bow first arrived it had a circa 1820 Eury frog and button.

The stopped backplate is of the style he made in the early 1820′s. A first choice bow for many soloists over the years. Milstein, Stern, Szeryng and Busch all played on Tourte bows.

Another strange fact is that until this bow was recently restored it had clearly had no use for the last 150 years. Perhaps it should be called the ‘Sleeping Beauty Tourte’.

Certificates

The bow has a certificate from Michael Taylor (internationally renowned expert on Tourte and maker of the famous 24 caprice bows in the manner of Francois Tourte) stating that the stick is in his opinion by Francois Xavier Tourte with later mounts by Jacob Eury circa 1820. The bow now has new replica fittings in 14 carat gold.

The bow also has a certificate from Jean-Francois Raffin, this certificate says ‘probably by Francois Xavier Tourte’. This cautious attribution is the most sensible way with bows of such extreme age, and is reflected in the price.

Exact in detail according to Tourte’s fittings in this crucial period when the modern bow was devised it is a joy to play.

Goodbye - See François Xavier Tourte leaves for Tokyo