Francois Lotte Violin Bow France

This violin bow was made by François Lotte in 1940, in Mirecourt. François was the son of George Lotte, a violin maker who studied first under Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, and then Honoré Derazey. François Lotte is believed to have completed his apprenticeship under Charles Nicolas Bazin in Mirecourt in 1921, when he moved onto working for Eugene Cuniot-Hury between 1922 and 1925. In 1926 Lotte set up his own workshop, and then subsequently expanded, taking on assistants from 1936, including his son Roger François, who joined him in 1940. Lotte's early bows are characterised by their elegant and rounded heads, however in the 1930's they took on a shape that was more flat and square. After his death, Lotte's son Roger continued the family tradition until the end of the 20th century. This bow comes with a certificate of authenticity from Pierre Guillaume.

This violin bow is stamped "François Lotte" and weighs 60.76g grams. It has a round stick of pernambuco measuring 746mm in length, with silver and brown silk lapping and a lizard leather grip. The frog is made from ebony and is silver mounted with a mother of pearl eye and a one-piece silver button. It is in good condition.

This bow is incredibly responsive, allowing players to feel the resistance directly from the strings to the hand and quickly make subtle adjustments to bring the most out of their playing. The stick is quite flexible, and easily achieves beautiful legato playing with little effort. Off the string strokes are also very comfortable and there is great clarity on every note. This bow would be most suited to a player at a tertiary or professional level, and would excel in both solo and ensemble playing.

Please contact us if you would like to book an appointment to try this beautiful bow!