1714 Stradivarius violin could become most expensive instrument ever auctioned

NEW YORK — 

A violin made by the famed Antonio Stradivari successful 1714 has the imaginable to go the astir costly philharmonic instrumentality ever sold erstwhile it goes up for auction Friday astatine Sotheby's successful New York.

The auction location is estimating the worth of the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” astatine $12 cardinal to $18 million. If it sells astatine the apical extremity of that range, it could champion the $15.9 cardinal paid successful 2011 for different Stradivarius, the “Lady Blunt,” made successful 1721 and named by Guinness World Records arsenic the astir costly instrumentality ever sold astatine auction.

Mari-Claudia Jimenez, Sotheby’s Americas president and caput of planetary business, said Stradivari made the violin during his “Golden Period," which began astir 1700 and was marked by an betterment successful his craftmanship.

"So, this is the highest of his output," Jimenez said. "This is the champion violin of this era.”

Sotheby's says the violin's preservation is remarkable, and its ownership past extraordinary.

It's named for 2 of its famed owners — violin virtuosos Joseph Joachim of Hungary, who lived from 1831 to 1907, and Si-Hon Ma, who was calved successful China successful 1926, moved to the U.S. successful 1948 and died 2009.

It is believed that legendary composer Johannes Brahms was influenced by the Joachim-Ma erstwhile helium wrote his “Violin Concerto successful D Major” due to the fact that of its rich, resonant tone, and that Joachim played that violin during the concerto's 1879 premiere, according to Sotheby's.

Ma acquired the violin successful 1969, and his property talented it to the New England Conservatory successful Boston aft his death. Ma attended the conservatory, wherever helium earned a master's grade successful 1950. The conservatory is present putting the violin up for auction, with each the proceeds going to pupil scholarships.