cello bow
François Nicolas Voirin
built in Paris in ± 1870
A cello bow, made by F.N. Voirin in Paris, ca. 1870. Octagonal shaft, ebony frog, silver mountings.
Current player
Michal Riefeld
from Benjamin (I) Banks
History of this instrument
This bow comes from the famous “Max Rodriguez Collection,” which consists of four Italian master instruments and sixteen valuable bows. In 1992, the Rodriguez Collection was loaned to the Musical Instrument Fund. In 1997, the owner decided to donate nearly all of the instruments to our foundation. It remains the largest donation ever made to our foundation. The bow has been loaned successively to Ilonka van den Bercken, René Berman, Janneke Weijermans, Jozien Jansen, and Marc van den Munckhof. Geneviève Verhage also played with this bow for some time. Currently, Michal Riefeld is the fortunate player.
About the builder François Nicolas Voirin
François Nicolas Voirin is one of the most legendary French bow makers of the nineteenth century. He was innovative, worked with great refinement, and constantly sought to improve his craft. His body of work is truly impressive. Voirin...