PW Bryant, ca. 1950s

Percival Wilfred Bryant (1902-1994) was born in London and began to aprentice in bowmaking at the Withers shop around 1920. While there, he learned in the French tradition under Victor Thomassin and Auguste Husson. When the Withers shop closed in 1932, Bryant moved to Ovingdean and opened his own shop, where he operated for the remainder of his career. He became known for making bass bows very soon after the war because he was the only British bow maker prepared to make them, and they supplied a need for British orchestral players at a time when importing French or German bows was difficult.

 

This particular example was made ca. 1950s and features a round stick crafted of dark pernambuco, an ebony frog fully mounted in silver, Parisian eyes, a pearl slide, and a silver button. Of note, is the characteristic chamfer on the heel of the frog, as well as the frog channel on the bottom of the stick. This is an elegant and responsive bow! 130g.