C. A. Thomassin Violin Bow Paris c. 1905

This violin bow was made by Claude Auguste Thomassin in Paris, around 1905. Born in Mirecourt in 1870, Thomassin was part of a cadre of well-respected bowmakers working at the Gand & Bernardel firm in Paris at the end of the 19th Century, inspired by the Voirin school. At the end of the 19th Century and beginning of the 20th Century, bowmaking in Paris was still at its peak, and there was a considerable number of very fine craftsman working at a variety of firms, all deriving influence from each other and developing different models and styles to match the developments in violin playing at the time. Thomassin entered into this environment by apprenticing under Charles Nicholas Bazin in Mirecourt, and quickly made his way to Paris, where he started working as part of the Gand & Bernardel firm. He remained there as the head of the bow department until the firm was taken over by Caressa & Français. At this point, around 1901, he established his own workshop in the Rue de Paradis where he began to produce bows under his own stamp, but as with many similar makers at the time, he also produced bows for Caressa & Français and other firms concurrently. 

The bow is stamped "CARESSA & FRANÇAIS" and weighs 59.8 grams. It has a round stick of pernambuco with silver wire lapping, and a leather grip. The frog is of ebony, fully mounted in silver with a pearl eye, and the button is in three parts of silver and ebony. It is in good condition. 

The stick has feeling that can best be described as a combination of strength and flexibility -- it invites weight into the string and has a fair amount of give, but the bow has a resistance to it that which lets you push and pull the intensity and texture of the sound to an abundant degree. It feels light in the hand and can be easily thrown around with ease and accuracy in more virtuosic pieces, while also possessing the sophistication and maturity for anything one would find in the concerto or sonata repertoire. Across all registers, it feels smooth and consistent, and it would make a perfect bow for a professional engaged in chamber, orchestral, or soloistic performance. 

Please contact us if you would like to book an appointment to try this wonderful Parisian bow.