Violin bow
Maker
John Alfred Bolander II
Date1943-1946 ca.
Place MadeSan Jose, California, United States, North America
Serial No.196
SignedStamped on stick in large letters, upside down: BOLANDERStamped under frog in smaller letters: BOLANDER
MarkingsStamped in very small letters, under frog, in front of signature, to be read from opposite side from signature stamp: 196
Written in black permanent marker on tip plate in front of and behind hair ribbon: 196
DescriptionAccording to Poulsen, this bow (serial number 196), and NMM 10,273 (serial number 197) are among Bolander’s earliest bows, dating from when Bolander was studying bow-making with Alfred Eugene Lanini (see violin NMM 7446 by Lanini, 1951). During this period Bolander was acquiring his wood from France, and due to its higher quality, Bolander bows from this period are not as bulky as his latter bows. After around serial number 200, Bolander began to use true ebony for his frogs. Serial number 196 has the signature stamp with larger lettering that Bolander used earlier in his career, and serial number 197 has the smaller stamp, so it is likely that Bolander acquired the smaller stamp shortly before making bow 197.
Stick: round; pernambuco
Head: square outline to leading edge; sharply-defined ridge
Frog: black-stained hardwood; silver ferrule, heel-plate, and lining; front corners of ferrule chamfered; no eyes; mother-of-pearl slide; two silver pins in heel-plate on underside of frog, parallel to back edge; two silver pins in heel-plate on back side of frog, one each in upper and lower halves
Adjuster: ebony; two narrow silver bands; mother-of-pearl eye
Tip plate: ebony-lined ivory
Wrapping: silver wire
Grip: black leather
DimensionsStick length: 736 mm
Head height: 22.7 mm
Head width (bottom): 10.2 mm
Frog height: 20.1mm (at ferrule)-20.3 mm (at back)
Frog length (top): 44.1mm
Frog length (bottom): 45.2 mm
Frog width (top): 8.9 mm (at back)-9.2 mm (at front)
Frog width (bottom): 12.9 mm (at back)-13.1 mm (at ferrule)
Weight (without frog, adjuster, or hair): 60.1 grams
ProvenanceDonor was bow-making student of Bolander, and sold his bows as a dealer.
Credit LineGift of Boyd Poulsen, 2002
Object number10139
On View
Not on view
