This week, an eye-popping price was paid at auction for a Stradivarius violin created at the “pinnacle” of Antonio Stradivari’s career.
The musical instrument, crafted in 1714 by Stradivari, the most famous luthier associated with the violin, sold for $11.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on Friday.
According to Sotheby’s, the violin, known as the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius,” was created during Stradivari’s “golden period,” when he was at the pinnacle of his acoustic instrument mastery.
“This extraordinary violin represents the pinnacle of craftsmanship and classical music history, with its unparalleled sound and storied provenance captivating collectors and musicians alike,” Mari-Claudia Jimenez, chair of Sotheby’s, stated.
“The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius garnered global attention, achieving one of the highest prices ever for a musical instrument — an acknowledgment of its rarity and historical importance.”
The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius is named after its two most famous owners: Joseph Joachim of Hungary, who lived in the nineteenth century, and Si-Hon Ma of China, whose estate donated the violin to the New England Conservatory in Boston after his death in Philadelphia in 2009.
The conservatory intends to use the proceeds to establish a student music scholarship fund.
“The sale is transformational for future students, and proceeds will establish the largest-named endowed scholarship at New England Conservatory,” said Andrea Kalyn, New England Conservatory’s president. “It has been an honor to have the Joachim-Ma Stradivari on campus, and we are eager to watch its legacy continue on the world stage.”
Fox News Digital has contacted the conservatory for further comment.
The most expensive Stradivarius violin was sold for $15.9 million in 2011. The “Lady Blunt” violin was created in 1921. Voice of America reports that it is also the most expensive instrument ever sold. Sotheby’s estimated that the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius could fetch $18 million, setting a new record.
The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius was also used to perform composer Johannes Brahms’ “Violin Concerto in D Major” in 1879.
