Antonio STRADIVARI (1644-1737)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
for reference : List of Stradivarius instruments in Wikipedia.
See also : Musical instrument
Chronology : 1680-1699 1700-1709 1710-1719 1720-1729
for reference : List of Stradivarius instruments in Wikipedia.
See also : Musical instrument
Chronology : 1680-1699 1700-1709 1710-1719 1720-1729
Intro
The career of Antonio Stradivari, which spanned seven decades, is a great example of continuous progress in an achieved quest for perfection. His first luck was to be born in Cremona in Lombardy, which thanks to the Amati family was the capital of violin making.
Then, his story is that of a continuous improvement of his favorite instrument. Customers love to hear music in large concert halls, and require to improve and amplify the sound.
He probably began as an apprentice to Nicolo Amati in Cremona which he will not leave. He started experimenting with modified sizes of the violin in the lifetime of his master.
Stradivari's breakthrough occurred around 1679 when he was in his mid thirties, five years before Nicola's death. Amidst shorter violins, he made an early masterpiece now designated as the Hellier, with an increased volume : 35.7 cm length of back in one piece of maple, 17 cm upper bouts, 11.5 cm middle bouts, 29 cm lower bouts. The position and form of the holes is also departing from the standards while the symmetry of the proportions is still under the influence of Amati. The Hellier passed at Christie's on July 7, 2022, lot 40.
Then, his story is that of a continuous improvement of his favorite instrument. Customers love to hear music in large concert halls, and require to improve and amplify the sound.
He probably began as an apprentice to Nicolo Amati in Cremona which he will not leave. He started experimenting with modified sizes of the violin in the lifetime of his master.
Stradivari's breakthrough occurred around 1679 when he was in his mid thirties, five years before Nicola's death. Amidst shorter violins, he made an early masterpiece now designated as the Hellier, with an increased volume : 35.7 cm length of back in one piece of maple, 17 cm upper bouts, 11.5 cm middle bouts, 29 cm lower bouts. The position and form of the holes is also departing from the standards while the symmetry of the proportions is still under the influence of Amati. The Hellier passed at Christie's on July 7, 2022, lot 40.
1666 Back Violin
2023 for sale on March 27 by Tarisio
The earliest instrument attributed to Stradivari is a violin inscribed "Alumnus Amati, faciebat anno 1666". It is the only period record identifying that Stradivari, then aged 22, had been an apprentice to Nicolo Amati.
The ex Back, dated ca 1666 by the Royal Academy of Music, comes in its immediate follow. It is labeled "Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis, faciebat anno 1669."
This example is based on Amati's model of the period from which it departs by a narrower decorative edge, influenced by earlier Amati violins..
It is estimated £ 1M for sale by Tarisio on March 27, 2023, lot 31.
The ex Back, dated ca 1666 by the Royal Academy of Music, comes in its immediate follow. It is labeled "Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis, faciebat anno 1669."
This example is based on Amati's model of the period from which it departs by a narrower decorative edge, influenced by earlier Amati violins..
It is estimated £ 1M for sale by Tarisio on March 27, 2023, lot 31.
1684 Croall McEwen Violin
2017 SOLD for £ 1.92M by Ingles and Hayday
During his very long career Nicola Amati had been the most important luthier in Cremona. He died in 1684 aged 88 without having ceased his activity. His younger colleague Antonio Stradivari had then to deal with an increase of orders.
Formal business relations between the two workshops are not known but a 1666 label suggests that Stradivari began his career as an apprentice ('alumnus') to Amati.
Amati had been a great innovator and experimenter, identifying how a tiny variation in the shape or size of a violin generates considerable differences in the sound. He had also tried to develop an optimized varnish. Stradivari analyzes the solutions found by the old master. He will be considered from 1690 as the most important designer and manufacturer of violins of all time.
On March 28, 2017, Ingles and Hayday sold for £ 1.92M from a lower estimate of £ 1.3M a stradivarius violin, lot 28. The instrument bears an original label inscribed 'Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1684' and presents all the characteristics of this very important period which launched the career of the master then 40 years old.
This violin had surfaced in the mid-1880s in the very active musical circles in Edinburgh and is now identified as the Ex Croall McEwen specimen. Used regularly in concert in the last thirty years, it offers important references in discography from 1985 to 1990 with the young soloist Frank Peter Zimmermann.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house:
Formal business relations between the two workshops are not known but a 1666 label suggests that Stradivari began his career as an apprentice ('alumnus') to Amati.
Amati had been a great innovator and experimenter, identifying how a tiny variation in the shape or size of a violin generates considerable differences in the sound. He had also tried to develop an optimized varnish. Stradivari analyzes the solutions found by the old master. He will be considered from 1690 as the most important designer and manufacturer of violins of all time.
On March 28, 2017, Ingles and Hayday sold for £ 1.92M from a lower estimate of £ 1.3M a stradivarius violin, lot 28. The instrument bears an original label inscribed 'Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1684' and presents all the characteristics of this very important period which launched the career of the master then 40 years old.
This violin had surfaced in the mid-1880s in the very active musical circles in Edinburgh and is now identified as the Ex Croall McEwen specimen. Used regularly in concert in the last thirty years, it offers important references in discography from 1985 to 1990 with the young soloist Frank Peter Zimmermann.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house:
The 'Ex-Croall; McEwen' violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1684, will be the star lot in our March auction. https://t.co/fcCBnJwhyK #violin pic.twitter.com/vya7fsGfL4
— Ingles & Hayday (@InglesHayday) January 27, 2017
1685 composite Violin
2023 for sale on March 28 by Ingles and Hayday
On March 28, 2023, Ingles and Hayday sells the collection of the dealer Norman Rosenberg from which a previously unknown composite Stradivari violin is surfacing.
The back has been prepared ca 1685. It is unusually large for the period in length and width. This instrument using a scroll made by Stradivari ca 1670 may have been a prototype before the long pattern violins of the 1690s.
The front was made ca 1692, probably in the Stradivari workshop, either for completing a work left unfinished or for replacing a damaged part. The former assumption is consistent with the hypothesis that it had been a prototype.
It is estimated £ 500K, lot 76.
The back has been prepared ca 1685. It is unusually large for the period in length and width. This instrument using a scroll made by Stradivari ca 1670 may have been a prototype before the long pattern violins of the 1690s.
The front was made ca 1692, probably in the Stradivari workshop, either for completing a work left unfinished or for replacing a damaged part. The former assumption is consistent with the hypothesis that it had been a prototype.
It is estimated £ 500K, lot 76.
1696 Violin
2013 SOLD for £ 1.4M by Tarisio
In the 1690s, musicians were demanding violins with more powerful sound, and Antonio Stradivari endeavored to meet their request. He then maintained two product lines. The subtlety of the art of violin making is extreme : the difference in length between Long Strads and classical violins does not exceed 5 mm.
On December 18, 2013, Tarisio sold for £ 1.4M a violin made by Stradivari in Cremona, dated 1696 by its label.
This is a fine example of violin with a normal back length of 35.4 cm. It is similar in style to the Molitor of 1697 which was sold for $ 3.6 million by Tarisio on October 14, 2010. Its back is in flamed maple, a recognizable variety which was also used on a 1696 viola and on the 1698 Baron Knoop violin.
Great instruments do not stay in the showcases and their careers with the musicians are often full of adventures and anecdotes. The violin for sale retains its original label, but its provenance is unknown until its authentication by an expert in 2000.
It was acquired soon afterward by a young soloist, and was stolen in 2010 in London in a railway station cafe. It was retrieved undamaged a few months ago, but its owner could not have waited for so long. She now has another Stradivarius, which explains why her former instrument enters the market.
Please watch the video shared by ITV where the violin is introduced by a manager of the auction house :
On December 18, 2013, Tarisio sold for £ 1.4M a violin made by Stradivari in Cremona, dated 1696 by its label.
This is a fine example of violin with a normal back length of 35.4 cm. It is similar in style to the Molitor of 1697 which was sold for $ 3.6 million by Tarisio on October 14, 2010. Its back is in flamed maple, a recognizable variety which was also used on a 1696 viola and on the 1698 Baron Knoop violin.
Great instruments do not stay in the showcases and their careers with the musicians are often full of adventures and anecdotes. The violin for sale retains its original label, but its provenance is unknown until its authentication by an expert in 2000.
It was acquired soon afterward by a young soloist, and was stolen in 2010 in London in a railway station cafe. It was retrieved undamaged a few months ago, but its owner could not have waited for so long. She now has another Stradivarius, which explains why her former instrument enters the market.
Please watch the video shared by ITV where the violin is introduced by a manager of the auction house :
1697 Molitor Violin
October 14, 2010 SOLD for $ 3.6M by Tarisio
The Parisian salon host Juliette Récamier owned a violin by Stradivari. The stradivarius label is dated 1697. A legend attributes a previous ownership of the instrument to Napoléon Bonaparte. After Mme Récamier, the next owner was Molitor, a general in Napoléon's army.
The Molitor was sold for $ 3.6M by Tarisio on October 14, 2010. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The Molitor was sold for $ 3.6M by Tarisio on October 14, 2010. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1699 Lady Tennant Violin
2005 SOLD for $ 2.03M by Christie's
After 1698, Stradivari switched from the Long Strad violin to a slightly shorter model.
The Lady Tennant violin, whose stradivarius label is dated 1699, is an early example of the new style which opens the Golden Age of the master. The length of its back is 354 mm, to be compared for example with the 355 mm of the Hammer made in 1707.
The Lady Tennant was sold for $ 2.03M from a lower estimate of $ 800K by Christie's on April 22, 2005, lot 245.
The Lady Tennant violin, whose stradivarius label is dated 1699, is an early example of the new style which opens the Golden Age of the master. The length of its back is 354 mm, to be compared for example with the 355 mm of the Hammer made in 1707.
The Lady Tennant was sold for $ 2.03M from a lower estimate of $ 800K by Christie's on April 22, 2005, lot 245.
1705 Baron von der Leyen Violin
2012 SOLD for $ 2.6 M$ by Tarisio
On April 26, 2012, Tarisio sold for $ 2.6M a Stradivarius violin, little known and well preserved, manufactured around 1705, the Baron von der Leyen. Please watch the video shared on YouTube by the auction house.
1707 Hammer Violin
2006 SOLD for $ 3.5M by Christie's
The Hammer is a violin from the first decade of the Golden Age of Stradivari. Its stradivarius label is dated 1707.
It was sold for $ 3.5M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M by Christie's on May 16, 2006, lot 199.
It was sold for $ 3.5M from a lower estimate of $ 1.5M by Christie's on May 16, 2006, lot 199.
1714 Da Vinci Violin
2022 SOLD for $ 15.3M by Tarisio
In the 1690s and 1700s the so called Long Strad violins mark the experiments by Antonio Stradivari to increase the power of the sound. They are 5 mm longer than the classic size.
The know how acquired in that period led the master to design in 1709 other changes that still increased the sound while coming back to the classic size. Flatness and arching reached an unprecedented perfection. In that so called Golden Age that lasted until the mid 1720s, the stradivarius went to be the all time finest violins.
An example was the Soil of 1714, so named from an owner from the early 29th century. Its "cathedral" sound was so powerful that it did not match the requests of Menuhin, who owned it from 1950 and transferred it to Perlman in 1986.
The Da Vinci is also dated 1714 in its Stradivari label. Its back is made of a single maple piece, rarer than a two piece back for a stradivarius violin of the Golden Age. The varnish is of a bright and golden amber color polychromatic when varying the light.
It first surfaced in 1881 in a deceased estate sale. Its French name Le Léonard de Vinci is a tribute to genius granted in the 1920s by the French dealer Albert Caressa who also nicknamed Michelangelo and Titian two stradivarius from the same period.
It was purchased in 1923 by the recently emigrated Russian born virtuoso Toscha Seidel after a meticulous quest of the perfect violin. That new ownership made a front page of the New York Times in 1924.
Seidel used it extensively in concert and then in radio hosting and studio recording including for the soundtrack of The Wizard of Oz, Intermezzo and Melody for Three.
The da Vinci ex Seidel was sold for $ 15.3M by Tarisio on June 9, 2022, lot 136. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The know how acquired in that period led the master to design in 1709 other changes that still increased the sound while coming back to the classic size. Flatness and arching reached an unprecedented perfection. In that so called Golden Age that lasted until the mid 1720s, the stradivarius went to be the all time finest violins.
An example was the Soil of 1714, so named from an owner from the early 29th century. Its "cathedral" sound was so powerful that it did not match the requests of Menuhin, who owned it from 1950 and transferred it to Perlman in 1986.
The Da Vinci is also dated 1714 in its Stradivari label. Its back is made of a single maple piece, rarer than a two piece back for a stradivarius violin of the Golden Age. The varnish is of a bright and golden amber color polychromatic when varying the light.
It first surfaced in 1881 in a deceased estate sale. Its French name Le Léonard de Vinci is a tribute to genius granted in the 1920s by the French dealer Albert Caressa who also nicknamed Michelangelo and Titian two stradivarius from the same period.
It was purchased in 1923 by the recently emigrated Russian born virtuoso Toscha Seidel after a meticulous quest of the perfect violin. That new ownership made a front page of the New York Times in 1924.
Seidel used it extensively in concert and then in radio hosting and studio recording including for the soundtrack of The Wizard of Oz, Intermezzo and Melody for Three.
The da Vinci ex Seidel was sold for $ 15.3M by Tarisio on June 9, 2022, lot 136. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
masterpiece
1716 Messiah Violin
Ashmolean Museum in Oxford
The Messiah is considered as the only instrument by Stradivari that remains in as new condition. The image is shared by Wikimedia with © Pruneau / Wikimedia Commons.
masterpiece
1719 MacDonald Viola
private ownership
The viola is a four stringed instrument of intermediate size between violin and cello offering a large range of sound from low to high, making it one of the elements of the quartet.
The production of violas by Antonio Stradivari extends throughout his long career, but they are much rarer than his violins and cellos. Only twelve survived. Ten of them are kept in institutions of foundations.
The MacDonald is in private ownership. It is dated ca 1719 by experts, which is the beginning of Stradivari's most important period when he takes the full benefit of his know-how accumulated over five decades. For comparison, his beautiful Lady Blunt violin was made in 1721.
The back made in a single piece of maple is in itself a technical feat explaining its exceptional sound. In perfect condition, having retained almost all of its original golden red varnish, it had been offered, and probably passed, at a sealed bid auction by Ingles and Hayday in conjunction with Sotheby's on June 26, 2014. It had been expected beyond $ 45M.
Please watch the video shared by the auction houses. The Macdonald is introduced by the auctioneer Tim Ingles and the violist David Aaron Carpenter.
The production of violas by Antonio Stradivari extends throughout his long career, but they are much rarer than his violins and cellos. Only twelve survived. Ten of them are kept in institutions of foundations.
The MacDonald is in private ownership. It is dated ca 1719 by experts, which is the beginning of Stradivari's most important period when he takes the full benefit of his know-how accumulated over five decades. For comparison, his beautiful Lady Blunt violin was made in 1721.
The back made in a single piece of maple is in itself a technical feat explaining its exceptional sound. In perfect condition, having retained almost all of its original golden red varnish, it had been offered, and probably passed, at a sealed bid auction by Ingles and Hayday in conjunction with Sotheby's on June 26, 2014. It had been expected beyond $ 45M.
Please watch the video shared by the auction houses. The Macdonald is introduced by the auctioneer Tim Ingles and the violist David Aaron Carpenter.
1720 Kux Viola
2022 SOLD for £ 2.5M by Tarisio
The viola d'amore is not a quartet instrument but a usually cornerless six stringed viol with a secondary set of six and a flat back, played under the chin.
The next instrument after the MacDonald in the chronology of stradivarius violas is another special, made ca 1720, referred as the Kux-Castelbarco.
It had been originally prepared by the master as a viola d'amore but with viola corners that facilitated its transformation to the perfect shape of a real stradivarius viola by Vuillaume ca 1850. Stradivari's son and grandson had refused to sell that exceedingly rare pristine viola d'amore to Cozio respectively in 1775 and 1801.
Vuillaume replaced the Stradivarius head with a piece made ca 1620 by Nicolo Amati and the original flat back by an arched back. The presumed original head without neck was donated by Vuillaume to the Conservatoire de Paris. The label is a facsimile with a wrong date, possibly by Vuillaume.
Perfectly preserved with undisturbed varnish, the Kux-Castelbarco was sold for £ 2.5M by Tarisio on October 31, 2022, lot 12. Please watch the videos shared by the auction house, illustrating the catalogue and demonstrating the viola.
The next instrument after the MacDonald in the chronology of stradivarius violas is another special, made ca 1720, referred as the Kux-Castelbarco.
It had been originally prepared by the master as a viola d'amore but with viola corners that facilitated its transformation to the perfect shape of a real stradivarius viola by Vuillaume ca 1850. Stradivari's son and grandson had refused to sell that exceedingly rare pristine viola d'amore to Cozio respectively in 1775 and 1801.
Vuillaume replaced the Stradivarius head with a piece made ca 1620 by Nicolo Amati and the original flat back by an arched back. The presumed original head without neck was donated by Vuillaume to the Conservatoire de Paris. The label is a facsimile with a wrong date, possibly by Vuillaume.
Perfectly preserved with undisturbed varnish, the Kux-Castelbarco was sold for £ 2.5M by Tarisio on October 31, 2022, lot 12. Please watch the videos shared by the auction house, illustrating the catalogue and demonstrating the viola.
1721 Lady Blunt Violin
2011 SOLD for £ 9.8M by Tarisio
The art of Antonio Stradivari has never been equaled. The wood of his instruments was carefully selected, the master was a very clever manufacturer and an excellent mathematician. The secret of the high quality of his violins has however never been discovered.
An interesting hypothesis, not proven, is based on the fact that instruments made at the same time by Andrea Guarneri are approaching the quality of the Stradivarius: the very cold climate of the late seventeenth century would have created less dense wood by slowing the growth of trees.
The Lady Blunt has all the qualities required to excite violinists and experts. Luckily, this specimen is very close to its original state. It was manufactured in 1721, in the best time of Stradivari. It belonged to Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, the French violin maker of the nineteenth century who made commendable efforts to understand and achieve the quality of the Stradivarius.
In 2008, this wonderful violin was purchased by Nippon Music in a private transaction whose amount exceeded $ 10M. This Tokyo foundation has decided to sell it to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. The auction was operated on June 20, 2011 by Tarisio. It was sold for £ 9.8M. Please watch the post sale video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
An interesting hypothesis, not proven, is based on the fact that instruments made at the same time by Andrea Guarneri are approaching the quality of the Stradivarius: the very cold climate of the late seventeenth century would have created less dense wood by slowing the growth of trees.
The Lady Blunt has all the qualities required to excite violinists and experts. Luckily, this specimen is very close to its original state. It was manufactured in 1721, in the best time of Stradivari. It belonged to Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, the French violin maker of the nineteenth century who made commendable efforts to understand and achieve the quality of the Stradivarius.
In 2008, this wonderful violin was purchased by Nippon Music in a private transaction whose amount exceeded $ 10M. This Tokyo foundation has decided to sell it to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. The auction was operated on June 20, 2011 by Tarisio. It was sold for £ 9.8M. Please watch the post sale video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
By Tarisio Auctions. Violachick68 at English Wikipedia - Was sent to me personally, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28827720
1729 Solomon
2007 SOLD for $ 2.73M by Christie's
The activity of Antonio Stradivari spans seven full decades up to his death in 1737. He was assisted by his sons in his later career but there is no doubt that he alone remained the guarantor of his acquired experience.
The use of dense woods subsequent to a series of cold years is one of the causes of the superiority of the stradivarius. The best instruments of his last years have thickened edges, corners and chamfers which provide a similar effect. The exact role of the varnish in the sound of his instruments is more controversial.
The Solomon ex Lambert violin has a stradivarius label dated 1729 when the master was 85 years old. It had been owned by the violinist Miss Murray Lambert. It was sold for $ 2.73M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Christie's on April 2, 2007, lot 255, from the estate of Seymour Solomon, a music lover who was a co-founder of Vanguard Records.
The use of dense woods subsequent to a series of cold years is one of the causes of the superiority of the stradivarius. The best instruments of his last years have thickened edges, corners and chamfers which provide a similar effect. The exact role of the varnish in the sound of his instruments is more controversial.
The Solomon ex Lambert violin has a stradivarius label dated 1729 when the master was 85 years old. It had been owned by the violinist Miss Murray Lambert. It was sold for $ 2.73M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Christie's on April 2, 2007, lot 255, from the estate of Seymour Solomon, a music lover who was a co-founder of Vanguard Records.
