Viola da Gamba bows
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To my knowledge there are no preserved French baroque viola da gamba bows known.
Many bow makers made a guess how they could have been.
I based my guess on a painting of Marin Marais from Andre Bouys, dated 1704,
from the Musée de la Musique in Paris and a contemporary print that is available
from different sources.
The last years I made several copies of this bow, with two different frog fixations.
Most players preferred the clip-in frog, which is the most logical solution.
Copy of a Bouman bow, c.1980. The stick is made from snakewood, the frog and button are snakewood or mastodon. Weight: 72-78 grams.