William Charles RETFORD
Auction price history
Highest auction price
£4,180
Type | Details | Sold | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Violin Bow | S/E 62 g. | Sun 1st May 2005 | £1,800 |
Cello Bow | G/I 77 g. | Thu 1st May 2003 | £1,396 |
Cello Bow | S/E 84 g. | Sun 1st March 1998 | £3,306 |
Viola Bow | S/E 72 g. | Sat 1st March 1997 | £3,220 |
Violin Bow | S/E 62 g. | Thu 1st November 1990 | £4,180 |
Biographies
John Dilworth
RETFORD, William Charles Born 1875 New Milton, Hampshire, died 1970 London UK. Distinguished bow maker. Trained at W. E. Hill & Sons in London from 1892 under Arthur Hill and Sydney Yeoman. Head of the bow making department from 1907. Retired 1956 but remained active until 1968. Developed the ‘Hill bow’, an amalgam of the French and English traditions. Tools and equipment from his workshop are preserved at the Faculty of Music in Oxford. Author of Bows and Bowmaking (London, 1964). Most of his bows carry the Hill brand. Private work from 1956 is branded: W. C. RETFORD. Made one violin, labelled: Made by William C. Retford / Bowmaker
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