of developing as the fiddle
undoubtedly did, remained in a state of primitive simplicity, and
bore till a comparatively recent date the same relation to its
companion the fiddle, as do the early specimens of Delft ware and the
exquisite Sevres specimens, which recline side by side in the
cabinets of the delightfully incongruous nineteenth century drawing
room. If you ask me to which of these conclusions I incline, I think
the two deductions are to one another as three times two are to twice
three, and that a combination of the two would probably account for
the present misty aspect of the past history of the bow."

One should not lay too much stress on pictorial records; even our
contemporary artists are not free from error, and it would be
interesting to know what future writers on this subject will say of
the nineteenth century violins and bows as represented by popular
painters at the Royal Academy and other picture shows. They will find
the evidence just as conflicting.

Unconvincing and contradictory as the existing records are, they are
all we have, and, such as they are, I give a few selected examples.

A form of bow constantly occurring in drawings, etc., from the eighth
to the sixteenth centuries, is Fig. 15. It is only slightly
suggestive of the Oriental bows.

[Illustration: FIG. 15.]

In the ninth century we find a bow (Fig. 16) strongly resembling
those of the Saw-oo and Saw-Tai. And from the same century we find a
miniature representation of a Crwth player with a bow slightly more
distinctive in character (Fig. 17).

[Illustration: FIG. 16.]

[Illustration: FIG. 17.]

Similar bows to the above appear to have been pretty general in the
tenth century. In the eleventh century a little more variety is
apparent, as will be seen in Fig. 18.

[Illustration: FIG. 18.]

Here are to be found the survival of the ninth century form shown in
Fig. 17, and a remarkable advance in the form of the one at the
bottom, which is doubtless the pattern intended to be shown in the
sculptured bow, second from the top. The top one is merely given as
an example of the perfunctory work the historian has to examine and
yet retain his customary calm exterior.

Fig. 19 gives some examples of twelfth century bows as depicted by
the artists of that period. The first two are evidently intended to
represent the type shown in Fig. 17. The sculptor probably found the
straight line of the hair inelegant. The third (which is from