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鈥檚 in New York.
The auction house is estimating the value of the 鈥淛oachim-Ma Stradivarius鈥� 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 鈥淟ady Blunt,鈥� made in 1721 and named by Guinness World Records as the most expensive instrument ever sold at auction.
Mari-Claudia Jimenez, Sotheby鈥檚 Americas president and head of global business, said Stradivari made the violin during his 鈥淕olden Period,鈥� which began around 1700 and was marked by an improvement in his craftmanship.
鈥淪o this is the peak of his output,鈥� Jimenez said. 鈥淭his is the best violin of this era.鈥�
Sotheby鈥檚 says the violin鈥檚 preservation is remarkable, and its ownership history extraordinary.
It鈥檚 named for two of its famed owners 鈥� 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 鈥淰iolin Concerto in D Major鈥� because of its rich, resonant tone, and that Joachim played that violin during the concerto鈥檚 1879 premiere, according to Sotheby鈥檚.
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鈥檚 degree in 1950. The conservatory is now putting the violin up for auction, with all the proceeds going to student scholarships.
