NEW YORK (AP) — A violin made by the famed Antonio Stradivari in 1714 has the potential to become the most expensive musical instrument ever sold when it goes up for auction on Friday at Sotheby’s in New York.
The auction house is estimating the value of the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” at $12 million to $18 million. If it sells at the top end of that range, it could best the $15.9 million paid in 2011 for another Stradivarius, the “Lady Blunt,” made in 1721 and named by Guinness World Records as the most expensive instrument ever sold at auction.
Mari-Claudia Jimenez, Sotheby’s Americas president and head of global business, said Stradivari made the violin during his “Golden Period,” which began around 1700 and was marked by an improvement in his craftmanship.
“So this is the peak of his output,” Jimenez said. “This is the best violin of this era.”
Sotheby’s says the violin’s preservation is remarkable, and its ownership history extraordinary.
It’s named for two of its famed owners — violin virtuosos Joseph Joachim of Hungary, who lived from 1831 to 1907, and Si-Hon Ma, who was born in China in 1926, moved to the U.S. in 1948 and died 2009.
It is believed that legendary composer Johannes Brahms was influenced by the Joachim-Ma when he wrote his “Violin Concerto in D Major” because of its rich, resonant tone, and that Joachim played that violin during the concerto’s 1879 premiere, according to Sotheby’s.
Ma acquired the violin in 1969 and his estate gifted it to the New England Conservatory in Boston after his death. Ma attended the conservatory, where he earned a master’s degree in 1950. The conservatory is now putting the violin up for auction, with all the proceeds going to student scholarships.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
