These Are The 12 Most Expensive Violins Of All Time
The Titanic Violin In 2006, this damaged violin was discovered
in an attic in Britain.
After two years of in-depth trace analysis, it was revealed that this was the instrument
used by Hartley, who played "Nearer, My God, to Thee" classical violin music during the
Titanic's last moments.
The Lady Tennant It is an antique violin made by the Italian
luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona in 1699, one year before the beginning of his so-called
'golden' period.
On April 22, 2005, the Lady Tennant sold for a record US$2,032,000 at Christie's auction
in New York.
The Hammer Stradivarius It was named after Christian Hammer, a 19th-century
Swedish collector who was one of the first recorded owners of this violin.
On May 16, 2006, The Hammer made news when it was sold at Christie's auction to an anonymous
bidder for US$3.54 million, with a pre-auction estimated value of US$1.5 million to 2.5 million.
Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Thought to have been owned by Napoleon Bonaparte,
the violin belonged to 19th-century Parisian socialite and arts patron Juliette Récamier.
Until 1804, when it came into the possession of a general in Napoleon's army, Count Gabriel
Jean Joseph Molitor.
It bears the label "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis / Faciebat Anno 1697" and is branded
to the lower rib, "Curtis Phila."
IL CANNONE Guarnerius The violin received its name from a former
owner, the Italian violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840), because of its power
and resonance.
The violin got its name Cannone, or its variants, Il Cannone del Gesù, Cannone, or Canon, from
Paganini because of its power and resonance.
The Lord Wilton The Wilton was crafted in 1742 in the city
of Cremona.
It was owned and played by the celebrated violinist Yehudi Menuhin from 1978 to 1999.
After Menuhin died in 1999, it was sold for $6 million[3] to a well-known collector David
L. Fulton.
It is the highest price paid for a violin to that date.
Mary Portman Guarneri Violin The Mary Portman Guarneri Violin gets its
name from a lady who lived in London, the Honorable Mary Isabel Portman, the builder
of "The Kranzbach Castle."
Ex Kochanski Guarneri The Kochanski del Gesù has been a faithful
companion of Aaron Rosand for nearly 40 years.
It has magnificent deep red varnish and is in a wonderful state of preservation.
Carrodus Guarneri The Carrodus Guarneri is "one of the finest
violins" made by the famous violin maker Guarneri.
An interesting fact about the "Carrodus" is that it was crafted from the same tree as
another Guarnerius violin, the II Cannone.
The Lady Blunt The violin is named after its first known
owner Lady Anne Blunt, daughter of Ada Lovelace, granddaughter of Lord Byron.
The Lady Blunt is one of the two best-preserved Stradivarius violins in existence.
Like the Messiah Stradivarius of 1716, it has survived in near-original conditions since
it has resided mostly in the hands of collectors and seen little use.
The Vieuxtemps Guarneri This Guarneri del Gesu instrument gained its
name after being owned by the Belgian 19th-century violinist Henri Vieuxtemps.
The instrument was later used by Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zukerman.
It recently became the most expensive violin in the world, selling for an estimated $16
million.
Its new owner anonymously donated the historic instrument to violinist Anne Akiko Meyers,
on loan for the rest of her life.
The Messiah Stradivarius It is considered the only Stradivarius in
existence in a new state.
It is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.
Much of the high value and prestige is because it was crafted during Stradivari's "golden
period "and has not been played for almost 300 years.