Hermann Richard Pfretzschner

1857 – 1921

 

H.R. Pfretzschner was born in Markneukirchen in 1857 into an old family of bow makers. He first learned bow making from his father, Carl Richard Pfretzschner. After years of training, he moved to Paris in 1874 to work for J.B. Vuillaume. Here he met Charles Husson, with whom he collaborated with for many years. At Vuillaume’s shop, he trained under F.N. Voirin. Pfretzschner produced many copies of Voirin’s work in the french style.

Later on, Pfretzschner established his own workshop in Markneukirchen, where he was able to supply many bows made in the French style to German firms. He became incredibly important to the history of German bow making, and he was given a royal title “purveyor to the royal Saxonian court,” by the House of Saxony as an acknowledgement of his masterful work.