Dominique Henry Violin Bow, Mirecourt circa 1835

Dominique Henry is one of several early 19th century makers who have been slightly overlooked by history. Here is a superb example of his work in outstanding condition – a great bow for a soloist, powerful and brilliant.

Dominique Henry is best known for having the biggest brand in the business! He signed his bows Henry JV – we assume that the JV refers to his wife Catherine Jon Vaux.

Unfortunately Dominique Henry’s output was relatively low, and there aren’t so many examples of his work – all the more unfortunate in that he was a maker of great talent, at least equal to his contemporaries Fonclause or Jean Dominique Adam.

This bow is one of the best preserved examples of his work – it features in “L’Archet” – bow 3, Volume II page 14. Although currently fitted with a copy frog, the original frog and screw are retained and in excellent condition. Unusually the delicate early silk lapping is also retained and in good order.

The stick is of octagonal section light orange pernambuco of remarkable quality, heavily flamed and very reminiscent of FX Tourte wood. Mounts are silver and ebony.

The condition of the bow is outstanding and there are no defects.

If you’re looking for a Tourte on a shoestring, look no further than this bow. It has fantastic technical properties, with a great marriage of strength and subtlety. The sound is full and warm but with a brilliant edge, and there’s a luminosity which seems to be a characteristic of the very best early 19th century pernambuco.

There’s a monumental character to the stick – the head is tall and of course the brand is huge, but it’s far from a crude bow. It’s extremely good at detail, and the sound is crisp and articulate.

Like all the bows illustrated in” L’Archet” it’s something of a collector’s piece, but it’s also a great workhorse bow with a long life ahead of it.