Heinrich Carl Knopf (1839–1875) was an award winning German bowmaker or bogenmacher.
Biography Knopf came from a dynasty of bow makers. He studied bow making in Markneukirchen under his uncle, Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Knopf. He was a journeyman in Leipzig working for Ludwig Bausch. Upon the death of his father, Karl Wilhelm, he returned to Markneukirchen where he became his successor. In 1867, Heinrich Knopf was awarded a bronze medal for violin and cello bows at the Chemnitz Trade Exhibition. In 1868, he moved to Dresden, living at 9 Brudergasse, the same block as Richard Weichold. One year later, he and his family moved to Berlin. In 1873, Heinrich was awarded a "recognition diploma" at the Vienna World Exhibition for a 'very good violin with strong and beautiful tone' and 'for excellent bows made for string instruments'. *Deutsche Bogenmacher-German Bow Makers Klaus Grunke 2000 He also supplied bows to German shops such as Bausch, R. Weichold and the Russian Nicolaus Kittel.[STRAD magazine June 2021 - Knopf Dynasty (A Tangled Web), by Gennady Filimonov]
"The bows (he) made for Kittel are quite different in style from the ones he supplied to the German shops."*VSA 14 #2 1995 Nicolaus Kittel: The Russian Tourte by Kenway Lee 183 — Kenway Lee
"His bows are exquisite, showing mastery in technical as well as stylistic aspects. His son, Heinrich Richard gen. Knopf (1860–1939) (known as Henry) became an excellent bow & violin maker who established what was to become a very important and successful shop in New York City (from 1879–1931)."STRAD magazine June 2021 - Knopf Dynasty (A Tangled Web), by Gennady Filimonov
Auction World Record: Tarisio Berlin October 2021 Lot 80 Violin Bow Nikolai KITTEL made by Heinrich Knopf (c.1865-70) €94,400 = US$109,500
References
STRAD magazine June 2021 - Knopf Dynasty (A Tangled Web), by Gennady Filimonov Die Geigen und Lautenmacher - by Lutgendorff, Frankfurt 1922 STRAD magazine - "Nikolaus Ferder Kittel: The Russian Tourte" by Harvey and Georgeanna Whistler Encyclopedia of the Violin - Alberto Bachmann
VSA 14 #2 1995 Nicolaus Kittel: The Russian Tourte by Kenway Lee 183 Deutsche Bogenmacher-German Bow Makers Klaus Grunke, Hans Karl Schmidt, Wolfgang Zunterer 2000