Claude Auguste Thomassin, French cello bow for Paul Jombar

This French cello bow, which Claude Thomassin crafted around 1930, is responsive and full of a rich typically French sound. The powerful round stick of brown pernambuco is very resilient and has a comfortable balance point that is located slightly towards the tip at 26.3 cm of the total 71.2 cm length. The bow weighs 80 g. This outstanding piece does not bear the name of its craftsman, but that was standard practice in the collaboration between violin and bow makers, even in cases where the atelier was as highly regarded as that of Claude Thomassin. Consequently, the bow features the stamp of luthier Paul Jombar above its nickel-silver mounted ebony frog, which is ornamented with an attractive mother-of-pearl eye. A certificate of authenticity issued by the Munich-based master bow maker Markus Wörz confirms that it is a genuine Thomassin bow. At the same time, the presence of Jombar’s stamp indicates more than simply a commissioned piece, because in certain ways Jombar and Thomassin were old colleagues. They must have known each other since at least 1886, the year in which both young craftsmen took up work in the famous atelier Gand & Bernardel. They then both worked there for at least six years. It is thus not too great an assumption to regard this bow as a tribute to the respect established between two acknowledged masters of their respective fields. This is borne out by the warm and bright sound the bow produces, which has a light sweetness to it. We recommend it highly: it made its way to us in top condition and was set up by the experts at our atelier for restoration.

 

 

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