A Stradivarius violin almost certainly played in the premier of a Brahms violin concerto will be auctioned in New York next month. The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius is tipped to realise between $12 million and $18 million, around £10 million to £15 million.
The current most valuable musical instrument, another Stradivarius, sold for $15.9 million in 2011 (around £10 million).
The violin is being sold by the New England Consevatory in accordance with the wishes of its second great virtuoso owner, Si-Hon Ma.
The violin was previously owned by Joseph Joachim.
Joachim, a Hungarian, worked closely with German composer Johannes Brahms.
He almost certainly played the Joaquim-Ma instrument at the 1879 premier of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major.
Joaquim paid what was reportedly a world record price for the violin in 1849. He kept it throughout his career.
A pupil of Joachim taught Si-Hon Ma at the New England Conservatory during the 1950s.
Ma bought the instrument in 1967. On his death the instrument was bequeathed to the Conservatory. A provision in the donation triggers this sale, which will fund the school’s biggest ever named scholarship programme.
The instrument was made by the greatest ever violin maker at the height of his power.
Antonio Stradivarius, 1644 – 1737, is the best-known and most-admired instrument maker in history. His violins, violas and cellos are coveted by the greatest players and sell for millions.
Sotheby’s, who are hosting the auction, call Antonio Stradivari’s Golden Period, “the pinnacle of his craftsmanship and acoustic mastery”.
The instrument has been on show – and been played – in London this week, and will travel to Hong Kong for exhibition from January 17th to 21st. It will be sold in Sotheby’s Masters Week in New York on February 7th.
Prospective buyers are invited to apply for a private go on the instruyment before bidding what may be a world record price for it.
“‘Strad’ is… like a household name for the violin… like the Picasso of the violin world,” Helena Newman, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, told Reuters.
“We are estimating the violin in the region of 12 to 18 million dollars, which sits comfortably within the record price already achieved for a Strad.”
The Golden Period for Stradivarius violins is said to run from 1700 to 1720.
The previous record for an instrument by the Cremona-born maker is the $15.9 million (around £10 million) paid for the Lady Blunt violin in 2011. That instrument was made in 1721.
The Messiah Stradivarius (1716), another violin, is valued at $20 million, though it has not been sold at auction. It is famed for its as-new condition and you can go to see it at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
The Duport Stradivarius Cello was reportedly sold for $20 million (then £15.6 million) in 2008. It was owned and played by legendary Russian player Mstislav Rostropovich, and reportedly once mishandled by Napoleon Bonaparte. Its current whereabouts is shrouded in mystery, with a claimed sale disputed by Rostropovich’s family.
Another legendary Strad, the Macdonald Viola, was listed at a sealed-bid auction in 2014 with an asking price of $45 million. It failed to sell.
Should the Joachim-Ma violin realise its top estimate it will be a world record for a musical instrument and generations of students at New England Conservatory will be grateful to the buyer.
