In Focus: c.1810–20 bow by Christian Wilhelm Knopf
2024-05-03T09:10:00
Matthieu Besseling on a bow by the Knopf dynasty’s patriarch
Christian Wilhelm Knopf is regarded as the founding father of the Knopf bow making family. He is mentioned as a bow maker in the Markneukirchen church records in 1795, at the baptism of his daughter Christina. His father, Johann Gottlob Knopf (dates unknown) was primarily a tailor but also a violin dealer and maker of strings. He also made some poor-quality beechwood bows. Some of these unstamped bows date from before 1800…