Carved from good wood: What characterizes noble investment violin bows
When investing in real assets, many investors may initially think of gold or real estate. But in turbulent economic policy times such as these, investors are also increasingly focusing on alternative assets such as collectibles (collectibles). In addition to art, diamonds and luxury watches, this also includes high-class stringed instruments. And: bows. Here you can find out why violin bows can cost six-figure amounts, how they are made and which fine pieces are suitable as investments.
Instrumenten-Investment Violin Bow
Of course, you are inevitably associated with investment instruments Violinmakers such as Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù, also from Cremona, whose rare violins or violas are traded for millions of dollars. But what is a violin without the appropriate string bow? The famous violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti once said: “Le violon, c'est l'archet” (“The violin, that is the bow”). This quote underlines the importance of the “link” between instrument and musician and explains why even rare violin bows made by master craftsmen can be an excellent investment. Especially when they are artfully made from special materials that can provide the unique sound and high value of a bow.
What are violin bows made of?
In general, the violin bow is used to make the strings and the body of stringed instruments vibrate and thus produce a sound. Put simply, a “hardwood rod” is strung with horse hair, which produces a sound by stroking the horsehair of the bow back and forth on the strings. Traditionally, violin bows are made from Pernambuco wood. This wood is very popular for building high-quality violin bows due to its strength, elasticity and resonance properties. Pernambuco wood has been used to make some of the world's best-sounding violin bows since the 18th century. This is because the wood can be cut very thin and still maintains a balance of strength and softness. It was once the preferred material of French bow makers such as Tourte, Pajot and Dominique Peccatte. Today, however, Pernambuco is extremely rare due to deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest, which has driven the price of violin bows made from this tropical wood to an all-time high.
In addition, young pernambuco trees consist primarily of light sapwood. Only after approx. 20 (!) Years ago, the typical yellow to reddish brown heartwood is formed, which is then finally used in bow making. Bow makers, violin makers and musicians from all over the world are therefore trying not only to preserve the number of trees, but also to increase them in the future. This is intended to ensure sustainable use and reforestation of stocks.
Which materials are now banned?
On the other hand, materials such as ivory, crocodile or snakeskin are now rightly prohibited for bow making. Ivory was often used to tip fine violin bows - but only for decorative purposes, which of course in no way justified the suffering of elephants. Since the population of African elephants has drastically declined due to poachers hunting for ivory, the importation of ivory has been banned in many countries. This means that musicians could have problems at customs if they carry a bow with an ivory tip or other, protected materials.
For example, the frog of a noble violin bow can be made of ivory, but also of horn, tortoiseshell or gold. The wooden part of the frog is almost always made of ebony. The frog eye is a purely decorative element, which often consists of mother of pearl, oyster and abalone shells. Without the appropriate certificates and evidence, the violinist may even have to leave such a violin bow behind in a country.
Because stringed instruments are also subject to the provisions of Washington Convention on the Protection of Species CITES affected. Many trips to non-European countries, especially to the USA, can result in significant problems with entry and exit - including the confiscation of the instrument.
The authorities focus on animal materials that come from protected species and are traditionally used in bow making in particular. In addition to ivory, these include tortoise shell, whalebone and lizard leather, but also the rare woods mentioned earlier, such as pernambuco or ebony. There are exceptions for the latter if they are carried in processed form (e.g. as a violin bow). However, thorough documentation is always recommended - e.g. in the form of a Instrument pass.
Such approval is required:
- If the trip is to countries outside Europe and the instrument is 50 years or older and worth at least 50,000 euros
- or if the trip takes you to other European countries and the instrument is 100 years or older and worth at least 100,000 euros.
Which violin bows are suitable as investments?
Many expensive and sought-after violin bows, for example, have ivory lace. Whether Dominique Peccatte or J.-B. Vuillaume — the masters of the 18th century — had no restrictions on their creative design and used ebony, ivory or other materials prohibited today for primarily optical reasons. Of course, excellent bows made from flora and fauna-protecting materials such as carbon are now available. But investment instruments in particular are made by old masters and accordingly contain decorative materials from those eras, which, although no longer used, should still be preserved with dignity.
