Atelier Vigneron Pére, excellent French violin bow (J.F. Raffin)

Joseph-Arthur Vigneron’s atelier was the birthplace of this spirited French violin bow, which was crafted around 1900 and bears Vigneron’s original stamp. During this period, the later years of his life, Vigneron pére worked with his son André in the family workshop; they were of such similar minds about the principles of their craft that their bows can barely be distinguished from one another. Their common values also included prioritising musical properties over aesthetic ones, which is why typical Vigneron bows are characterised by an extremely reserved style. There are no gold or tortoise-shell mountings to be found in any of Joseph-Arthur Vigneron’s work: this light 57.7 g nickle-mounted bow with a three-piece button has an ebony frog ornamented with a mother-of-pearl eye, which can be considered elaborate fittings for Vigneron. The bow is all the more compelling because of its active elasticity and well-balanced weight distribution which allows for highly precise playing. The balance point is located at 26.7 cm of the total length of 74.5 cm, which is quite centrally located within the lower half of the bow. The ornamentation is very subtle, yet the tastefully crafted head still clearly signals that the Vigneron atelier nevertheless had a decisive and confident style which understood elegance thoroughly. The premium brown pernambuco selected for the stick serves as further confirmation of this bow’s quality. It has a typically French sound that is bright and fluid – a recommendable partner to accompany a top-tier violin. The specialists at our atelier have set up the violin bow and made it ready to play. Comes with a certificate by J.F. Raffin