Johannes S. Finkel

Johannes Siegfried Finkel was born in Markneukirchen in 1947 into one of the most distinguished families of German and Swiss bow makers. His mother, Hanna Weidhaas, was the daughter of Paul Weidhaas, continuing a bow-making tradition that can be traced ...Read More through the Weidhaas family to the late nineteenth century. In 1952 the Finkel family left East Germany and settled in Schwanden, near Brienz in Switzerland, where his father Siegfried established a successful bow-making workshop.

Johannes began his training with his father and subsequently broadened his experience through several important periods abroad. He worked for J. & A. Beare in London, Hans Weisshaar in Los Angeles, and William Moennig & Son in Philadelphia, gaining extensive experience in both bow making and restoration before returning to Switzerland.

On his return, Johannes worked alongside his father in Schwanden, helping further establish the international reputation of the Finkel workshop. When Siegfried retired in 1984, Johannes assumed direction of the business. His bows, generally made from carefully selected pernambuco and characterized by precise workmanship, strong but responsive sticks and refined mounts, earned him an international following among professional players. He also trained a number of bow makers in the workshop and continued the family's distinctive synthesis of German craftsmanship with influences absorbed from the French and international bow-making traditions.

Johannes eventually retired, passing the family tradition to his daughter Daniela Finkel, who represents the fifth generation of the Weidhaas-Finkel dynasty and today continues the workshop in Schwanden bei Brienz. Read Less

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