Here is a delightful eighteenth century French violin bow made at a tumultuous time in French history leading up to the revolution. It has many similarities to both Tourte L’aine and his younger brother Francois Xavier Tourte. The profile of the front of the head is very much Francois Xavier whereas the throat is much more in keeping with Tourte L’aine.

Over the centuries sadly many important details that could aid a certain attribution have been changed by different modifications to the mortice areas and the throat. For this reason it is safer to say Tourte school rather than to try to assert it is a collaboration between the Tourte brothers. It is possible they made it, but nobody can prove it since so much detail has been lost. It is very plausible to suggest it is by both brothers but a later restorer has tried to make the bow look more like Tourte Jeune.

So what is known?

The bow is French, c. 1780, the back of the head suggests at one time it was a transitional bow rather like bow numbers one to six in the Millant book in the Tourte L’aine section pages 101-103. Then maybe ten to twenty years later the back of the head area is filed down to be ‘modernised’. Bear in mind at this time 1789 the French Revolution had begun, at this time Tourte L’aine being at the apogee of his career selling bows to the aristocracy has to flee Paris, his younger brother finishes off his bows for him.

This bow, measuring 72.8mm is about 3mm too long for 1780, L’aine makes to this length by about 1790.   The bow weighs 57g.

From a playing point of view it has a dark, woody sound, the stick sends strong vibrations into the bow hand, strikingly so through the first finger.  It has tremendous balance and is content playing Bach to Britten,

Over the last few years there has been a trend towards recording pieces with bows from a similar era as the compositions, notably Isabelle Faust and Clara-Jumi Kang, both playing Tourte Jeune bows in their recordings of solo Bach, Beethoven sonatas and Ernst’s Last rose of summer variations.  

Having sold a number of bows from this era it feels just like them, very similar to an early Francois Xavier Tourte we sold a couple of years ago in Japan. The bow was discovered in Paris and comes with a certificate to the effect of the attribution details above. The certificate is by the renown restorer and expert Michael J. Taylor, head of our bow department..