CELLO BOW BY DOMINIQUE PECCATTE "COL DE CYGNE" 1945 C.I usually do not reveal the owners of the bows that I showcase in the blog, but this is a magnificent and very rare cello bow, model "col de cygne", by Dominique Peccatte, and the fact that the owner, came to visit us last week, makes me believe that his name would be easily derived anyway.
Cello bow by Dominique Peccatte, "col de cygne" c. 1845 (click to enlarge) The owner is of course Master Meneses, who came to play a concert in Cremona. His visit was perfectly timed because my colleague had just finished two magnificent cello bows, which I was eager to show him.
When Master Meneses had just arrived at the theatre for rehearsals, he asked me if I had “something nice” to show him. I replied with a professional salesman' smile, "Yes Master, you know I always have something special". "Well, Paolo, I have something special to show you too", was his answer. The surprise was all the more welcome for two reasons. First of all, it is very unusual to see pieces of such rare beauty. Secondly, I recognized them immediately. You see, this good man has two - I will look at the other bow next week.
Obviously we are talking about bows by Dominique Peccatte, which are difficult to confuse with others. Even so, I had a moment of hesitation, because of the date given by M° Bernard Millant, on the certificate. The models "col de cygne", are rare and wonderfully dangerous for their size. They go back to a period, well defined in the life of Dominique Peccatte: the decade beginning in 1838, the year in which he took over the workshop of Francois Lupot II, until 1847, when he returned to Mirecourt, where he dedicated himself to wine – the making of it, of course.
Furthermore, there are some other details that make us able to define the period, such as a strong geometric by Pierre Simon, influence of the wedge and the chamfer. Typical for Peccatte, is the almost perfect roundness of the chamfer, and the management of a steep wedge. It could almost be attributed to Simon, Were it not for the classic “s” shape that emerges from the centre line of the wedge.
The ivory tip, obviously it isn't original (Peccatte, would never have done anything like this) but made by a French colleague. An exceptional craftsman, although perhaps endowed with an ego that was somewhat out of proportion, which may have lead him lose sense of beauty and respect for one of the greatest craftsman ever.
Except for the ivory tip, which is appalling, the bow is truly exceptional. The wood is very dense and dark, and it is still surprisingly forceful. Furthermore, the geometry of the head helps to soften some of the harshness of the sound, which is one of the characteristics of Dominique Peccatte. Not only do the “col de cygne” heads, which were made in the early period of bow making, have a graceful appearance; they also have a precise function in the emission of sound. Having made the rear chamfer round, means having removed the four corners of the structure, allowing it to vibrate better. The problem is that one is then forced to reduce the thickness of the head quite a bit, and in this way it loses some of the structural stability.
The frog is a copy, and I must say an excellent one. It was made by the same craftsman who made the ivory tip, which confirms that he had an excellent hand. He has chosen an amazing piece of ebony, and demonstrates that he had a thorough knowledge of the craftsman's style – amusing himself with a little inconsistency, though. The frog is clearly a copy of Peccatte, influenced by Joseph Henry, and perfectly executed - were it was not for the throat. Defining it as the "back of a donkey" is restrictive, because it is also very pointy. - I will never understand this man.
Specifications and measurements:
In addition to the beautiful object shown above, I have added a video of Master Meneses, playing with the last two bows made in the workshop Navea Vera & Sarri - it seems as though he likes them.
Master Meneses tests two bows "DT Navea Vera" in our workshop in Cremona (play the video) Below you will find the two bows.
D.T. Navea Vera: ebony, silver and whalebone - "Erika" - (Click to enlarge)
D.T. Navea Vera: ebony and silver (click to enlarge) To read more about this topic: BERNARD GEORGES LOUIS MILLANT; THE KEEPER OF TIME PECCATTE, THE SILENT REBELLION FRANCOIS LUPOT II; THE CHAMALEON PIERRE SIMON, THE NICE PECCATTE DOMINIQUE PECCATTE; THE PURE ONE JOSEPH HENRY; L'ENFANT PRODIGE So long Paolo
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