Classical viola bow, Mirecourt
This viola bow has now sold.
About Mirecourt bows
This viola bow was made in Mirecourt, one of the centres of French instrument making, around 1830. Mirecourt is considered to be the birthplace of French luthiery, having become a centre for luthiers as early as the end of the sixteenth century.
About the bow
The bow weighs 65 grams and the stick measures 728 mm. The bow has an open frog and the mounts are of ebony and bone.
The bow is made from ironwood, one of my favourite types of wood. Ironwood is a catch-all term for a number of different species of dense, hardwood tree: the wood used for this bow is Swartzia Bannia, a hardwood which tends to have flecks of chalky yellow/white in its pores. More importantly, this wood behaves incredibly similarly to pernambuco and I have often found that it sounds as good or even better than sticks of the more common wood.
How does it play?
This bow is comfortable to play; as a player sorely lacking in historically informed technique it is very much my go-to friend for a reassuring experience. Friends who are much better versed than me inform me that it works brilliantly for them too!
Condition
The bow is in very good condition.