In February, a 300-year-old violin will be sold at Sotheby’s. It could become the most expensive musical instrument ever auctioned off.
The instrument is known as the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius and was crafted in 1714 by Antonio Stradivari, who was a famous Italian violin maker.
The violin still works and is estimated to sell for between $12 million and $18 million, according to Sotheby’s. Currently, the record holder for the most pricey musical instrument sold at auction is the 1721 Lady Blunt Stradivarius violin.
It was named after the granddaughter of Lord Byron, the British Romantic poet. It went for $15.9 million in 2011.
The Joachim-Ma is set to go up for auction during Sotheby’s Masters Week, a series of auctions that feature sculptures, paintings, and other artworks.
Previously, the owner of the violin was Hungarian musician Joseph Joachim. He most likely performed with it during the premiere of Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major in 1879.
“The first time we actually saw the instrument, we were really, truly blown away just by its presence,” said Mari-Claudia Jiménez, the chairman and head of business development at Sotheby’s.
Another previous owner of the violin was Si-Hon Ma, a well-known Chinese violinist and teacher. He invented the Sihon mute, which is a device that is placed behind the bridge of a violin to dampen sound.
It does not need to be removed when it is not in use, making it a significant improvement compared to the older standard mute.
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Ma used his profits from the Sihon mute to purchase the Stradivarius violin and played it until his death in 2009. Afterward, the instrument found a home at the Violin Museum in Cremona, Italy, for a brief time.
Then, it was donated to the New England Conservatory, Ma’s alma mater, under the condition that it would eventually be sold to support student scholarships.
Only a few senior students at the conservatory have been able to play the violin over the past nine years. According to Sotheby’s, the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius has a rich, complex sound that is “full of depth.”
“The tone is between sweet and rounded, with a richness that seems to grow with each note,” said the auction house in a statement.
“There’s a warmth to the sound, with an underlying depth that gives it a unique character, making it far from ordinary.”
Sadly, students who attend the New England Conservatory in the future likely won’t be able to play the 300-year-old violin, but they will still benefit from its sale.
The proceeds from the sale will go toward the establishment of some of the largest scholarships in the history of the conservatory. The violin is an artifact that will attract not just musicians but also buyers from all different backgrounds.
“This isn’t just something that a violin or instrument aficionado would want,” said Jiménez. “This is for anyone who wants to own something that is the best of the best, the most extraordinary, or the most special of their kind.”
