The well-known connoisseur of French bows, whose monumental work on François Xavier Tourte was published in 2023, was 77 years old
The American bow expert, dealer, author and appraiser Paul Childs died on 21 September at the age of 77. One of the best-known experts on French bows, he was the author of several well-received books and was a regular guest at conferences where he was always keen to share his knowledge and expertise. His books on the Peccatte, Persoit and Tourte families are considered groundbreaking and essential reference works for bow makers, dealers and connoisseurs.
Born in 1947 in Oklahoma City, Childs originally trained as a violinist. He received a masters in violin performance from the Manhattan School of Music and worked extensively as a freelancer in New York. He also began dealing in fine French bows, studying them and researching their makers, possibly inspired by the work of Bernard Millant (1929–2017).
Read: ‘The great artistry of history’s most important bow maker’ - François Xavier Tourte
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His books included The Bowmakers of the Peccatte Family (1996) Jean Pierre Marie Persoit: His Life and Work (2003) and Tourte Le Jeune: The Tourte Exhibition (2008), the catalogue of an exhibition of Tourte bows he put together in London. His final book, TOURTE (2023), compiled with Gabriel Schaff, Lucy Sante and Isaac Salchow, brought together 92 bows by the revolutionary bow maker, along with never-before-seen documents concerning François Xavier Tourte himself. Childs was instrumental in bringing to light key facts about Tourte’s life and career, refusing to accept the received wisdom about his beginnings.
Based in Montrose, New York, Childs was an affiliate member of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers and a well-known presence among bow makers and dealers. He is survived by his wife Berit Schumann and son Karl.
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