FN Voirin Violin Bow, Paris circa 1880

This is a fine FN Voirin violin bow from around 1880 – it’s a great player’s bow in very good condition.

We regularly sing the praises of Voirin on this website, but he is still somehow critically undervalued. He influenced every bowmaker who followed, and he set new levels of excellence in workmanship.

This is a lovely example from his most prolific period, bearing his own brand. The stick is of octagonal section orange pernambuco with a subtle fleck, mounts are silver and ebony.

The bow shows some signs of use but there are no defects – the handle facets are slightly worn and the stick has a few minor nibbles but that’s all there is to say.

Voirin bows can be on the light side, but when the measurements meet the expectations of modern players they are unbeatable in their musicality. As with Sartory, we find that the octagonal bows tend to be the exceptional players, and it’s definitely the case here. Everything just seems to be in the right place…

The stick is pliable but firm, very easy to control and keep on track. The sound is buttery and full but with plenty of high frequency content and articulacy.

This is a mature and sophisticated bow which brings a calm authority into the room – it will immediately become your best friend.