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This gold-mounted bow bears the maker's 3-star rating behind his name stamp, indicating that this is the finest work he could produce. The nut certainly is original to the bow, for two reasons - firstly, it has this maker's personal crest stamped into the flank, but more importantly, the centre of the eye contains a small lense allowing one to see a photograph of the maker inside of the nut. (With some effort some photographs of the picture could be taken - see the composite picture below). This is one of his famous "picture" bows - quite rare. Judging from Pfretzschner's attire in the photo one could guess that the bow dates from around 1910. Furthermore, the matching rose-gold adjuster has all the wear that goes with a very old but well-preserved bow.
This bow is entirely French in its style, to the extent that the frog (in the French style) is sunk into two grooves in the shaft, either side of the mortise - technique the French started in the 19th century, making for an extremely stable fit of the nut, preventing rolling.
What is not always understood or appreciated is that both the two most important Pfretzschner bow makers have their roots deep in the French bow making traditions, rather than in German styles. (Notably, H. R. Pfretzschner (1856-1921) - the most prolific and respected maker of that family - was the last pupil of J-B Vuillaume in Paris and he styled most of what he did on what he learnt from the French makers.)
Following closely is the maker of this bow, Wilhelm August Pfretzschner (1871-1939), of whom the overwhelming majority of bows (like this one) are blatantly in the French style. In workmanship this maker rivalled the more illustrious H. R. Pfretzschner, whose prolific output could not easily be equalled in quantity, yet it appears that W. A Pfretzschner's meticulous attention to detail and quality took first place in his preoccupation over quantity. This puts his work on a par with that of his more famous namesake.
It appears that W. A. Pfretzschner understood the French formula for an amalgam of suppleness and lightness combined with just the right firmness to allow for good control - all combined into marvelous balance, response and articulation. And this French influence is immediately apparent to anyone who picks up one of his bows and starts playing with it. With these Pfretzschners the player draws the sound from the instrument, rather than pushing it out, as one is inclined to do with too hard or heavy a stick.
This bow has truly superb playing properties, rivalling the finest work of Sartory or Ouchard. It is exceptionally stable in execution of difficult bowing passages, yet has excellent articulation in every respect. It also draws a beautiful sound from the violin. I have not met a professional who tried this bow who didn't want it, less for its visual beauty than for its quality of play.
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The Stick :
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Excellent pernambuco. Round stick. There is an unusual sap mark in the head that looks like a repair, but it's NOT a repair. The head, as is the entire stick, is free from fractures or repairs.
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The Nut :
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Ebony, original to the bow. The centre of the eye on the player's side has a small lense allowing one to see a picture of the maker inside the frog. The eye on the far side has a similar opening allowing light in to back-light the photo. This is irrefutable proof of the nut's authenticity
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Mountings :
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Rose gold. The golden ferule is the original, but shows wear after 100 years of rehairs.
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Lapping :
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Silver lapping. Black leather thumbpad. These are probably later, as the original lapping would probably have been in matching gold wire.
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Tip Slide :
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Mammoth ivory. Later. There is a hairline crack running accross the ivory slide, but not easily observable. It has been glued down and it stable.
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Condition :
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Other than items mentioned above, this bow throughout is in excellent condition. The stick is without damage or repairs.
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Provenance :
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Owned by Johan Grobbelaar. Earlier provenance withheld.
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Price :
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R60 000
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Approximately US$ 8 500, or £ 5 400 stirling.
Being one of W. A. Pfretzschner's 'picture' bows, gives this bow high rarity and collector's value. Furthermore it is in excellent condition with the original frog and adjuster.
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