The Nürnberger Family of Bow Makers

The Nürnberger family workshop in Markneukirchen produced a large output of high-quality bows from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries. Although the bows were made by multiple family members, many of them bear the label “Albert Nürnberger,” created when Franz Albert Nürnberger II (1854-1931) formalized the family brand.

While already a part of an established bow-making dynasty, Franz Albert II marked a major shift for the Nürnberger brand. He switched from a German model to one inspired by French master Francois Xavier Tourte. Through savvy exporting, Nürnberger bows also gained popularity in the United States when he negotiated distribution through the New York firm of Rembert Wurlitzer. Keen observers will note slight style variations between the various Nürnberger bow-makers, including Karl Albert and Christian Albert, but many bows are only attributed to the workshop, not a specific archetier.

Franz Albert II’s son, Carl Albert (1885-1971), took over the family workshop in the 1920s. He built on his father’s success and launched the firm to increased prominence. Carl Albert and his brother, Philipp Paul, refined the Tourte-inspired model to create a new signature style. Under Carl Albert’s leadership, Nürnberger bows became synonymous with quality, precision, and consistency.