An 18th-century violin crafted by renowned Italian instrument maker Antonio Stradivari during his “golden age” is going up for auction next month, with an estimated value of a record-breaking 18 million dollars.
The New England Conservatory (NEC) is selling the violin, known as the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius,” with proceeds going toward student scholarships, fulfilling the wish of Si-Hon Ma, a musician and NEC graduate who donated the violin to the institution.
The auction will take place on February 7th in New York, conducted by Sotheby’s as part of its Old Masters Week auctions.
“‘Strad’ is already… like a name for a violin… like Picasso in the world of violins,” said Helena Newman, chair of Sotheby’s Europe,in London, where the violin was publicly displayed on Friday.
“We estimate the violin in the range of 12 to 18 million dollars, which aligns with the record price already achieved for a Strad.”
Stradivari violins, which sell for millions of dollars, are renowned for their exquisite craftsmanship, with the most sought-after examples coming from his “golden age” between 1700 and 1720.
His violin, the “Lady Blunt,” from 1721, sold for a record 15.9 million dollars in 2011.
Before Ma, the instrument was owned by violinist Joseph Joachim, who lived in the 19th century. He was a close collaborator of composer Johannes Brahms and “almost certainly” performed on this instrument, the so-called “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius,” at the premiere of Brahms’ “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77“ in 1879, Sotheby’s stated.
The violin will also be exhibited in Hong Kong and New York before the auction.
Photo: Fidelershop
