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The Glesel family of violin and bow makers is very extended and stretches over a fairly long period of time. It appears that the bow stamp 'O. GLESEL A PARIS' (also appearing on this bow) has caused a degree of confusion with dealerships, auctioneers and musicians, variously attributing it to Oswald Glesel, Oscar Glesel and Otto Glesel. However, Bonhams, by means of the authority, Paul Childs, correctly associates this bow stamp with the work of Richard Otto Glesel. Although stamped as if made in Paris, this maker in fact lived and worked in Markneukirchen and has no known association with Paris. I have been unable to find the dates for him in any reference work, but the bow appears to date from the 1930s or 40s.
This bow is of pernambuco cut to a round stick with a refined and elegant head with an ivory (or bone) facing. Lapping is of silver plated copper, the ebony frog is silver mounted with a parisian eye and appears to be original to the bow, as does the three-ring adjuster button. It has a black leather thumbpad and weighs 56 grams.
The bow is well-balanced, has good articulation and spiccato and is a pleasure to play with, certainly within specs for advanced professional work.
Silver mounted bows by this maker, such as this one, is usually assessed at between £1200 and £1800 on average.
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The Stick :
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Pernambuco cut round
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The Nut :
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Ebony with parisian eye, original to the stick.
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Mountings :
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Silver. Adjuster button original to the bow
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Lapping :
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Silver plated copper lapping. Black leather thumbpad.
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Condition :
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Excellent condition with no discernable cracks or repairs to the stick. The tip's 'nose' has been repaired and the work is virtually invisible.
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Provenance :
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Owned by Johan Grobbelaar
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Price :
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Withheld
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This unusually high Rand price is a consequence of the drop of around 34% in Rand value in recent times, which seems to be a permanent state of affairs.
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