For more than ten years, the title of the most expensive violin in history was held by a rare and nearly 300-year-old instrument. That changed recently with the sale of a new record-setting violin.
In 2013, the 1741 ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin claimed the top spot when it was sold for over $16 million (£10.5 million) to an undisclosed private collector. This exceptional instrument is currently on lifetime loan to renowned American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.
The ‘Vieuxtemps’ violin is named after Belgian 19th-century violinist and composer Henri Vieuxtemps. Since his ownership, the violin has been played by some of the most famous violinists globally, including Eugène Ysaÿe, Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, and Pinchas Zukerman.
This instrument had previously surpassed the record set by another Guarneri violin, the ‘Kochanski’. The ‘Kochanski’, named after the celebrated Polish violinist who collaborated with composers Szymanowski and Prokofiev, sold for $10 million (£7 million) in October 2009.
The New World Record: The 1715 ‘Baron Knoop’ Stradivari
The crown for the most expensive violin now belongs to a different maker altogether. The 1715 ‘Baron Knoop’ violin crafted by the legendary luthier Antonio Stradivari was sold to an anonymous buyer for an unprecedented $23 million (£17.8 million), establishing a new benchmark in the valuation of rare string instruments.
This exquisite violin features a two-piece maple back with a beautifully figured pattern gracefully descending from the center joint. Its top is made from two pieces of spruce, with ribs and scroll fashioned from matching wood. One of its striking details is the scroll’s chamfers, which still bear Stradivari’s signature black edging, underscoring the meticulous craftsmanship of this masterpiece.
The violin’s label reads, ‘Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1715’, indicating it was made by Antonio Stradivari in Cremona in 1715.
Before this record-breaking sale, the ‘Baron Knoop’ was owned by American collector David L. Fulton, who acquired it in February 1992 for $2.75 million. Notably, Canadian violinist James Ehnes has performed Edward Elgar’s pieces, including Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, on this violin.
David Fulton was known for his remarkable collection comprising 27 exceptional instruments. Over time, many of these have been sold, with some remaining—such as a 1793 Guadagnini viola and an 1898 Voller Brothers copy of the 1735 ‘d’Egville’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’—now part of the David and Amy Fulton Foundation.
When Fulton acquired the ‘Baron Knoop’, it was coated in thick French polish and varnish retouches that obscured its original finish. Expert restorer John Becker devoted three months to the painstaking removal of these layers, unveiling Stradivari’s original rich varnish underneath and restoring the violin’s true character.
— The Violin Post Editorial Staff
