Christian Hans-Karl Schmidt viola bow

Christin Hans-Karl Schmidt received his early training from Kurt Dölling in Erlbach before moving to the prominent instrument-making town of Bubenreuth to join the workshop of Emil Kühnl. He later relocated to Switzerland, working for Siegfried Finkel and Pierre Vidoudez, before moving to Markneukirchen to complete his master's examination in bow making. With his training complete, Hans-Karl returned to Erlbach to partner with Kurt Dölling, and in 1974 he established his own workshop in Dresden where he produced bows of the highest quality, which are owned by professional players and collectors around the world.

A knowledgeable expert and avid researcher, Hans-Karl partnered with Klaus Grünke and Wolfgang Zunterer to publish Deutsche Bogenmacher, one of the definitive reference books on bow making.