W.E. Hill and Sons violin bow stamped “Hill & Sons”

S707 
W.E. Hill and Sons established four main categories of bows, all well- known to New Zealand players. After the prosperity of the decades before WWI, Hills faced a market and supply disruption in the 1920s that caused them to search for wider markets and establish a partnership with the prestigious Wurlitzer company in New York. And it is a Wurlitzer catalogue of that period that bows stamped “Hill & Sons” are found, of which this is a rare example. The underside of the stick and the frog lining have the “match” letter “A” with the unusual addition of the year indicator “40” on the stick. The silver tip face is stamped “3”, the mark of Albert Leeson, one of Hill’s better bow makers. The round, pernambuco stick is stiff without being inflexible, and produces a warm, full sound with good articulation. Spiccato and sautillé are easily activated.