Pierre Simon Violin bow, Paris circa 1855

Here we have an exceptional silver and tortoiseshell bow by Pierre Simon, made for Gand Freres and initialled “SV” to each side of the frog. It’s in very good condition and it has a big and beautiful sound.

Pierre Simon is one of the most consistent of the Peccatte School makers but even he had good days and bad days – this bow is one of the nicest Simons we have had, in both sound and appearance.

The bow carries a dedication or monogram for a certain “SV”, and is branded Gand Freres – most likely it was bought as a present. As you’d expect from a bow with tortoiseshell mounts, the wood is exceptional and the workmanship shows special care.

The stick is of deep red round section pernambuco, mounts are silver and tortoiseshell.

The condition of the bow is very good – the bow has had some use and there’s some light rounding to the top facet of the handle, and there are a few marks here and there, but there’s nothing of significance to report.

With bows of this calibre it’s very much a matter of nuance and preference, but for me this is a great player. Supple enough to dig into the string, stiff enough to maintain control, but above all a bold and brilliant sound full of complexity. It has a big woody core but also exceptional articulation in the high frequencies.

In other words quintessentially Simon, but with a bit of extra pazazz!