This is the best bow I have seen from this maker's wonderful output, crafted out of some of the highest quality pernambuco I have come across.  As a bow dealer you see many hundreds of bows so the preceding sentence is a true accolade.  Joseph Arthur was particularly careful in his choice of wood throughout most of his career, and that, allied to an extremely unusual triangular section down the stick, bring us to a unique bow with wonderful playing attributes.  The wood is dark and richly veined, similar to the best wood used in Dominique Peccatte's finest bows.  Many players spend a lifetime searching out the best bows, sometimes wondering if indeed such a bow exists - here is such a bow.   One of the chief exponents of this type of Vigneron was the great American violinist Michael Rabin.  Need I say more? 

 

 

Fabulous, the bow draws out a rich full sound and instills in the player a tremendous amount of confidence since you feel that you don't need to worry about articulation.  A great bow for leaders. A bow with a truly massive character.

 

 

This bow is in fine condition with an especially beautiful heel. The stick is spliced under the lapping so the handle of the bow is a later addition.   Indeed it took some detective work to understand what has happened with this first class Vigneron stick, since it is stamped 'Giullaume Fournier a paris'.  It was probably broken within ten years of being made but after 1905 when Vigneron died.  Charles Bazin was a fine bow maker and restorer who worked for Fournier.  They saw the bow and decided to restore it but put on their own stamp.  From the lapping onwards though this is clearly a Vigneron pere.