This bow was made by William Charles Retford, one of the most esteemed bow makers from the London firm of W.E. HILL & SONS. 

Retford joined the Hill firm at age 16. Even with little instruction (no formal training occurred at Hill yet), Retford excelled with his incredible attention to details and inventive mind. He developed the fleur-de-lys bow model in 1910, which remained the flagship design for 50 years.

The round stick, of finest Pernambuco, is mounted with a gold face-plate.  The tortoise-shell frog is gold-mounted, with large gold Parisian eyes on each side. The three-part button is of gold and tortoise-shell, and bears a Parisian eye in the end.  The substantial wear on the handle indicates what a beloved playing stick this has been, without sacrificing any strength or balance.  The weight is 57.7 grams.  There are minor repairs to the frog, as indicated by a small gold pin in the frog, and a small nick on the edge, near the heel-plate.

The bow is accompanied by the certificate of authenticity from Isaac Salchow.