Jean Adam

Who was Jean Adam?

Jean Adam was a Master French bow maker known as "Grand Adam". His bows are highly sought after.

Jean was born in Mirecourt February 26, 1823. Grand Adam served his apprenticeship and continued to work under his father, Jean Dominique Adam until 1842 when he went to Paris to work for Jean Baptiste Vuillaume. For the most part, "he was inspired by his father and also perhaps by Joseph Fonclause." Paris played an integral part in his development as a master craftsman. At the height of his promising career, he decided to return to Mirecourt in 1853 where he set up his own shop and produced a great number of bows. His bows show a very individual style. Unfortunately he lived a short life, dying at age 46, however, because of the amount of his production we still have many fine examples of “Grand Adam” today. He died January 20, 1869

"François Tourte possessed not only the ingenuity to bring the bow to perfection, but also the skill to make bows of unsurpassed quality which are still sought after by players and emulated by makers."

"Both Jean Dominique and his son "Grand" Adam seemed to favor François Tourte's design and thus produced a great many octagonal bows." - Gennady Filimonov