William Charles Retford
1875–1970
Distinguished bow maker. Trained at W. E. Hill & Sons in London from 1892 under Arthur Hill and Sydney Yeoman. Head of the bow making department from 1907. Retired 1956 but remained active until 1968. Developed the ‘Hill bow’, an amalgam of the French and English traditions. — John Dilworth
Auction Price History
Highest auction price
26 results
| Type | Details | Auction house | Sold | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cello Bow | Silver and aluminium mounted, damage to the silver headplate and point of head, cracks to the stick Lot 205 | — | September 2020 | £960est. £ 800-1,000 |
| Violin Bow | Bill Watson collection, silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford, ebony frog Lot 209 | — | March 2020 | £4,200est. £ 2,000-3,000 |
| Violin Bow | Bill Watson collection, silver mounted, round stick stamped W.E. Hill & Sons, tortoiseshell frog Lot 30 | — | March 2020 | £7,800est. £ 4,000-6,000 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford, ebony frog with Paris eye, silver button Lot 32 | — | October 2019 | £2,280est. £ 1,800-2,500 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford, ebony frog with Paris eye, silver button Lot 59 | — | March 2019 | £2,640est. £ 1,800-2,500 |
| Violin Bow | Gold mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford, ebony frog with Paris eye Lot 208 | — | October 2018 | £3,360est. £ 2,000-3,000 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, octagonal stick, frog decorated with a silver shield motif, excellent condition Lot 21 | — | October 2018 | £4,320est. £ 3,000-5,000 |
| Violin Bow | Illustrated on The Hill Bow Makers 1880-1962 by J. Milnes & D. Wilson, gold and tortoiseshell mounted Lot 38 | — | March 2018 | £8,400est. £ 4,500-6,500 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford, ebony frog with Paris eye Lot 37 | — | October 2017 | £3,840est. £ 1,800-2,500 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, round stick stamped William C. Retford, ebony frog with Paris eye Lot 163 | — | March 2017 | £1,920est. £ 1,500-2,000 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped W. E. Hill & Sons, excellent condition Lot 11 | — | October 2016 | £3,360est. £ 2,000-3,000 |
| Viola Bow | Silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford, further stamped 63 88, excellent condition Lot 34 | — | October 2016 | £2,160est. £ 2,000-3,000 |
| Cello Bow | Silver mounted, small pin crack of head, handle and frog with minor wear, otherwise very good condition Lot 169 | — | June 2016 | £3,600est. £ 3,000-5,000 |
| Violin Bow | Made for W. E. Hill & Sons, silver mounted, round stick, ivory frog, good condition Lot 24 | — | June 2016 | £2,880est. £ 3,000-5,000 |
| Violin Bow | Made for W. E. Hill & Sons, silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped W. E. H & S, good condition Lot 184 | — | March 2016 | £2,160est. £ 2,000-3,000 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford Lot 222 | — | November 2015 | £4,200est. £ 2,000-3,000 |
| Violin Bow | Made for W. E. Hill & Sons, silver mounted, original lapping, extraordinarily well preserved Lot 33 | — | November 2015 | £3,120est. £ 1,800-2,500 |
| Violin Bow | Gold mounted, octagonal stick stamped William C. Retford, ebony frog with Paris eye Lot 42 | — | November 2015 | £3,840est. £ 1,800-2,500 |
| Violin Bow | Made for W. E. Hill & Sons, silver mounted, round stick stamped W. E. Hill & Sons, tortoiseshell frog Lot 57 | — | June 2015 | £4,500est. £ 3,000-5,000 |
| Violin Bow | Silver mounted, stamped W.E. Hill & Sons and London, broken at the head, ferrule missing, without hair Lot 79 | — | February 2013 | £749est. $ 300-500 |
| Violin Bow | Made for W. E. Hill & Sons, silver mounted, stamped W. E. Hill & Sons Lot 135 | — | April 2012 | £4,820est. $ 2,500-4,000 |
| Violin Bow | S/E 62 g. | — | May 2005 | £1,800 |
| Cello Bow | G/I 77 g. | — | May 2003 | £1,396 |
| Cello Bow | S/E 84 g. | — | March 1998 | £3,306 |
| Viola Bow | S/E 72 g. | — | March 1997 | £3,220 |
| Violin Bow | S/E 62 g. | — | November 1990 | £4,180 |
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Biographies
The overview above is drawn from the following published accounts. Read them in the original:
John Dilworth+
RETFORD, William Charles Born 1875 New Milton, Hampshire, died 1970 London UK. Distinguished bow maker. Trained at W. E. Hill & Sons in London from 1892 under Arthur Hill and Sydney Yeoman. Head of the bow making department from 1907. Retired 1956 but remained active until 1968. Developed the ‘Hill bow’, an amalgam of the French and English traditions. Tools and equipment from his workshop are preserved at the Faculty of Music in Oxford. Author of Bows and Bowmaking (London, 1964). Most of his bows carry the Hill brand. Private work from 1956 is branded: W. C. RETFORD. Made one violin, labelled: Made by William C. Retford / Bowmaker
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