Richard Weichold violin bow, Dresden

Richard Weichold studied violin making under Carl Gottlob Pfretzschner, one of the best makers of this large and talented family, before returning to his birthplace in Dresden, where shortly after his father was recorded as a bow maker.  Bows stamped either “A.R Weichold Dresden” or “R. Weichold Dresden”, as this bow is, were most probably made by master bowmakers working independently of Weichold workshops or hired to make them in-house, a practice most famously followed by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume and common at the time.  This octagonal, pernambuco stick produces a crisp, clear sound, with ample resistance, a steady, well-balanced legato, and a very dependable spiccato and sautillé.