Violin Bow by Marie-Louis Piernot, Paris
This violin bow has now sold.
About Marie-Louis Piernot
Marie-Louis Piernot was born in Neufchâteau, close to the violin making centre Mirecourt, in 1880. He served his apprenticeship in the Mirecourt workshop of Charles Nicolas Bazin, working there for 8 years. He then moved to Paris and worked for Joseph Arthur Vigneron and then for Léon Bernadel.
Piernot set up his own Parisian workshop in 1923, making bows under his own label and many for other violin shops as well. As was common for French makers at the time, bows made for other shops were left unstamped in order to bear the seller´s brand: this bow is stamped Chanot & Chardon, a big Parisian shop.
Despite his work for the very great and the good of twentieth century bow makers, Piernot´s name is yet to become as well known. This is excellent news for us as it means his bows are more affordable whilst offering the same high level of quality and playing experience as the bows by the more well-known of his contemporaries.
About the bow
The bow weighs 62 and a half grams and the mounts are of nickel and ebony. The octagonal stick measures 732 mm in length.
How does it play?
In this bow, Piernot has captured an unusual combination. Ordinarily, strong sticks such as this can struggle to sit in the string and to pull a rich sound out of an instrument, tending towards producing a glassy sound. This bow, however, grips the string exceedingly well and pulls out a huge, warm sound with plenty of carrying power. Depending on your playing style and violin, it is hard to better this bow in this price bracket.
Condition
The bow is in excellent condition.
Certification
A certificate by Pierre Guillaume from 2017 accompanies the sale.