Violin Bow by W. E. Hill & SOns

Silver and tortoise-shell mounted ◊ Stamped W.E.Hill & SONs ◊ Made by Edgar Bishop in 1945 ◊ £8000

W.E. Hill & Sons dominated the fine instrument and bow market in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The firm was founded in 1880 by William Ebsworth Hill, who established its reputation for fine restoration work, pioneering many new techniques.

The Hill workshop employed many fine makers in the manufacture of bows. Among the firm’s most celebrated bow makers are James Tubbs, Samuel Allen, William Charles Retford, Albert Leeson and Edgar Bishop. Alfred Hill instituted an established style for the firm’s bows based on the Tourte violin bow and Voirin cello bow, uniting individual makers’ work into a distinctly British product of uniformly high quality.

Edgar Bishop apprenticed to William Retford alongside Albert Leeson after WWI ended, and the two became Retford's favourite pupils. Bishop and Leeson worked together on the department's most revered and demanding projects. Bishop's bows are marked with the numeral 2.