Victor Fétique Violin Bow Paris France c.1930

Victor François Fétique (Mirecourt 1872 – Paris 1933) is regarded as one of the finest French bow makers of the early twentieth century. Born into a Mirecourt family of bow makers, he trained there under J. B. Husson, Sigisbert Maline and Émile Miquel before working for the celebrated Charles Nicolas Bazin, and then joining the Parisian firm of Caressa Français in 1901. In 1913 he established his own workshop at 72 rue Myrha in Paris, where such notable makers as Claude Thomassin, Louis Morizot, Paul Weidhaas and André Richaume passed through his bench. His early style reflects his master Bazin, later moving toward the refined Parisian taste of Voirin and Sartory. Crowned “Meilleur Ouvrier de France,” Fétique’s own bows are counted among the very best French work of the period. This bow is sold with a certificate by Pierre Guillaume of Brussels, dated 2004.

This violin bow is stamped “Vtor Fétique à Paris” — above the frog and beneath the lapping — and weighs 61.9 grams. It has a round stick of fine pernambuco of an orange-beige colour, measuring 744mm, with French-style silver lapping. The head is a rounded, elegant model. The frog is ebony, silver mounted with a ringed pearl eye, and fitted with a solid silver button. It is in excellent condition, retaining a perfect state of preservation.