This is a very clean Hill violin/viola bow from the late 1940s, bearing a maker’s mark for Edgar Bishop.
Edgar Bishop worked for Hills between 1918 and 1943, and was one of their most accomplished makers – unfortunately he died suddenly of a stroke in 1943. This bow must have sat in storage for at least three years as the date stamp is 1946 – however, these were the war years and very few bows were sold at this critical time.
This bow is just over 64 grams with ideal balance, so it fits best into the category of a “tweener” ie. in between a violin and a viola bow. Many violin players double on viola and vice versa, and there has always been a market for bows which work on both instruments.
The stick is of octagonal section mid-brown speckled pernambuco with a slight figure; mounts are silver and ebony. The brand is “H&S”.
Condition-wise there’s nothing to report other than minor signs of use – minimal wear to the handle and some very small marks to the varnish of the stick.
From a violinist’s perspective this is a big bow, but it’s still eminently usable. The sound is rich, and the essential volume level is pretty impressive.
For a heavy bow it doesn’t feel sluggish – the balance is just right and the off-the-string action is nimble and responsive.
Something of a speciality bow, but it does what it does very well!
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