Nicolas Maire Violin Bow, Mirecourt 1840

This is an unusually attractive Maire bow with exceptional tonal qualities – the frog has some minor condition issues but the stick is in excellent condition.

Nicolas Maire is emerging as one of the great talents of French bow-making. He is unique in having had close associations with both Pajeot and Peccatte, and his bows are an often unpredictable synthesis of these two very distinct traditions.

This bow has a head which seems to be Pajeot at the front and Simon at the back – a bold and artistic statement made all the more arresting by the exceptional wood used.

Unusually for a nickel mounted bow, the pernambuco is of the best quality, with both dramatic diagonal flame and very marked mineral lines running in length.

The stick is of round section red-brown pernambuco, mounts are nickel and ebony.

The stick is very well preserved with only minimal wear to the handle. The frog has a well repaired crack in the lower face (player’s side) and the back plate is a replacement.

This is a bow with the most fantastic sound, coloured yet clean, brilliant without brittleness. Like many Maire sticks, it needs to be under exactly the right amount of tension to work at its best, but it’s quite easy to find the sweet spot… too loose and it feels floppy, too tight and the sound loses power, but there’s half a turn of the adjuster where this bow explodes into life!

If you are a slave to sound, then this bow offers a richness of tone that no 20th century bow can ever offer. It’s a difference that’s crucial to any solo performer – more is more!