Table of Contents
Most Expensive Violins In The World
Introduction
The history of the violin extends far back to the 16th century in Italy. All through history, many violins have been maintained and handed down over generations of people. Whereas most violins haven’t survived all through the course of history, there are a number of violins that have made it through these centuries.
A few of these violins have been developed, held, and performed by very notable figures in history, giving them super value in the eyes of historians and collectors. The worth that many historic violins have is intangible.
In this article, we’re going to have a look at 10 of the most expensive violins of all time.
1. The ‘Messiah’ Stadivari (1716) – $20,000,000
In all probability the most expensive violin on this planet, The Messiah Stradivarius is a violin that was crafted by Antonio Stradivari, the creator of the well-known Stradivarius violin model, in 1716.
The Messiah, because of its age and historical past, has a valuation within the region of $20,000,000 however has by no means been offered or bought by anybody.
While Antonio Stradivari was alive, he stored The Messiah in his violin store as a distinguished display of his skilled work, and in reality, it’s never been played!
The Messiah remained with Antonio Stradivari till his passing in 1737, after which it was rigorously handed down through a number of generations of violin collectors and historians.
The Messiah now safely sits on display at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.
2. The ‘Ex-Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri del Gesú (1741)- $16,000,000
Giuseppe Guarneri is one other well-known luthier of late 17th-early 18th century Cremona, Italy. Giuseppe Guarneri was one among a family of revered luthiers active throughout that time. The Guarneri violins are often thought-about to be as priceless as many Stradivarius violins.
The Vieuxtemps Guarneri was named the “Vieuxtemps” because it was owned for a while by Henri Vieuxtemps, a well-known violinist and composer of the 19th century. The price is going up only when you mention the famous violin maker Guarneri del Gesu – truly amazing!
In 2012, the Vieuxtemps was bought by an anonymous donor for $16,000,000 and lovingly loaned to violinist Anne Akiko Meyers for the remainder of her lifetime.
3. The ‘Lady Blunt’ Stradivari (1712) – $15,900,000
At a worth of just about $16 million, the Lady Blunt is among the most expensive violins on this planet. It obtained its name from its first recognized proprietor, Lady Anne Blunt, the granddaughter of Lord Byron.
This violin is among the two best-preserved Stradivarius violins to ever exist, the other one being the Messiah. It is because collectors are likely to keep it more often than not fairly than play it.
Violinists had been additionally not ready to use it as much, so it was able to retain its unique pristine condition.
Whereas the present proprietor is unknown, there have been some notable players who’ve tried it. These embody Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume and Richard Bennett.
4. The ‘Carrodus’ Guarneri del Gesú (1743) – $10,000,000
Crafted in 1743, the Carrodus Guarneri is one of Guarneri del Gesu’s best instruments. That is evident in its glorious craftsmanship and development.
It obtained its name from the English violinist John Carrodus who once owned the violin. Different notable owners of the Carrodus Guarneri embody Ossy Renardy and Niccolo Paganini.
At current, Richard Tognetti, the creative director and leader of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, owns this violin. Tognetti describes the violin as deep, mysterious, and delightful.
It’s price noting that the materials utilized in Carrodus Guarneri and one other Guarnerius violin referred to as the Il Cannone are each from the same tree.
5. The ‘Kochanski’ Guarneri del Gesú (1741)- $10,000,000
The first recognized proprietor of the Ex-Kochanski Guarneri is a figure who is called Enthoven. The violin has been owned and preserved by a number of well-known violin collectors and sellers, reminiscent of W.E Hill & Sons, throughout its lifetime.
In 1927, the Ex-Kochanski Guarneri was offered by W.E Hill & Sons to the polish violinist Paul Kochanski, a Polish violinist, from whom it was named after.
The Ex-Kochanski was most just lately offered in 2009 by Aaron Rosand, a violinist who owned the model for over fifty years, to a non-public Russian violin collector.
The craftwork of Ex-Kochanski Guarneri features parts from lots of the additional violins the stay from Giuseppe Guarneri ‘del Gesú’. For instance, the Ex-Kochanski Guarneri and the Vieuxtemps Guarneri had been crafted utilizing identical wood, which may be seen from related wooden grain patterns on their bodies.
There’s additionally a signature red violin varnish, which is notably used on Carrodus Guarneri, that’s used on the Ex-Kochanski Guarneri. This violin serves as a representation and nearly as a basis for a lot of Guarneri’s later works.
6. The ‘Mary Portman’ Guarneri del Gesú (1735)- $10,000,000
The Mary Portman violin is one other creation of Guarneri del Gesu which he crafted in 1735. This violin is ready to catch the temper round with its hypnotizing tune.
It gets its name from the Honorable Mary Isabel Portman, a British woman who constructed the Kranzbacj Citadel. She was the daughter of Guarneri’s peer.
Except for Mary Portman, different violinists including Fritz Kreisler and Adele Anthony additionally had the prospect to play with it. At current, Francisco Fullana is the recipient of this violin on loan from the Stradivari Society.
7. The ‘Lord Wilton’ Guarneri del Gesú (1742)- $6,000,000
Giuseppe Guarneri is the luthier who was behind the ‘Lord Wilton’ as well. Crafted by Guarneri within the standard violin-making city of Cremona, Italy, the ‘Lord Wilton’ has a deep heritage behind it.
It was crafted in 1742 and was named after the fourth Earl of Wilton, Seymore Egerton. Nonetheless, Egerton didn’t take possession of the violin till the 19th century.
The ‘Lord Wilton’ can be referred to as Ex-Yehudi Menuhin because of the fact that it was owned by the world-renown violinist, Yehudi Menuhin, from 1978 till his death in 1999. It was bought in 1999 from Menuhin’s property by David L. Fulton for $6,000,000.
8. ‘La Pucelle’ Stradivari (1709) – $6,000,000
‘La Pucelle’ Stradivari is a violin that was made by Antonio Stradivari in 1709. Nicknamed “The Virgin”, La Pucelle Stradivari had never been performed since Stradivari crafted it.
Accountable for its nickname, Jean Baptiste Vuillaume is the proprietor who connected pegs and a tailpiece to the violin, very similar to what he did with the ‘Lady Blunt’.
‘La Pucelle’ is the identity of the Catholic warrior who’s carved on the violin’s tailpiece, one other element that was added by Vuillaume.
After being offered between a number of collectors, W.E. Hill & Sons took possession of ‘La Pucelle’ Stradivari in 1903 and later offered the violin to Richard C. Baker in 1904 before taking possession of the violin again until 1942.
9. The ‘Dolphin’ Stradivari (1714) – $6,000,000
The Dolphin Stradivari is one other Stradivarius violin made in 1714. George Hart, the 19th-century proprietor of this violin, named it as such because its form, look, and color reminded him of a dolphin.
Except for George Hart, different violinists and collectors laid fingers on this violin. They embody John Adams, David Laurie, and Jascha Heifetz.
At current, the Nippon Music Foundation owns the violin and it’s on loan to violinist Akiko Suwanai. As a way to keep the shimmer and glam of the violin, one needs to be cautious with its maintenance.
10. The ‘Ex-Szigeti’ Stradivari Violin (1724)- $6,000,000
This violin is known after Joseph Ludwig, a 19th-century German violinist and former pupil of the celebrated Joseph Joachim, who chose to develop into a naturalized British citizen and established his residence in London.
As Ernest N. Doring reported, Mr. J. Ludwig was extremely regarded and ‘… grew to become head of the violin division of the London Academy of Music succeeding Leopold Jansa about 1869–70.’
Generally known as the ‘Ludwig,’ the ex-Szigeti was crafted by Antonio Stradivari in 1724. Joseph Szigeti and Deszgo Szigeti each owned the violin, which is where it will get its major name from.
The violin can be referred to as the ‘Ludwig’ because it was owned by Joseph Ludwig. The ex-Szigeti encompasses a prolonged inscription from Antonio Stradivari himself, making it a rarity amongst violins.
What makes a violin expensive?
So to start with, why on earth are some violins so costly? Why are some priced at $60 on eBay and others priced at $60,000?
There are numerous contributing elements to why violins are so costly – a lot of which revolves around time and craftsmanship.
Aged Wood
Violins are made from spruce and maple and, normally, the older the wood is, the better the sound might be. This means that some violins are made with wood that has been aged for over 20 years before their creation!
There are some luthiers (violin makers), who have a particular assortment of wood they’re saving for years till they feel the wood is aged enough to start constructing a violin. This alone can drive the value up!
High-quality Craftsmanship
Additionally, the best violins are at all times handcrafted by a single luthier with superior high quality. Whenever you pay for a violin, you aren’t simply paying for the instrument.
You’re paying for the time the luthier took to review the art of violin making and to craft a novel, individual violin of fantastic quality. This consideration of detail and quality has a major influence on the value.
Aging Properly
One other fascinating aspect of string instruments is that the worth of a finely crafted instrument usually appreciates, or grows, over time. That is very different from say, the worth of an automobile, which depreciates the second you buy it.
The reason for that is that violins are typically like fine wine – the older it’s, the better it tastes, and the rarer they are to find. After a certain period of time passes, a superb violin nearly turns into a vintage.
Violin Maker
What typically sets aside “any old” violin from the perfect old violins is not only the craftsmanship, it may also be a matter of who made the violin. If the violin maker was well-revered – virtually a legend – it will drive the value up.
Sound Quality
Lastly, sometimes a violin is pricey purely because it simply sounds good. At the end of the day, violinists select the violin they need because they just like the sound. And having great sound is commonly the result of superb craftsmanship and quality.
Conclusion on the Most Expensive Violins
Well, this ended up being a very nice informational article where you are learning about the most expensive violins that are out there in the world. Every antique violin has a great price and for a good reason.
Made by a famous violin maker and played by a famous violinist these antique violins are made in the golden period by the great maestros of the craft.
Even though they can be wanted by both professional and amateur violinists – these models are made only for the virtuosos and for museum displays. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find good photos of the last 3 violins, but you can look into them on YouTube if you wish to see and listen to them.
If you have any questions in regards to this topic, please let us know in the comment section!
