Rare 286-Year-Old Violin Could Sell For More Than $10…

Rare 286-Year-Old Violin Could Sell For More Than $10 Million At Auction

Topline

A rare 18-century violin made by a renowned Italian luthier – dubbed the “Leonardo da Vinci” of violins – is heading to auction for the first time in decades after being played in concerts by its virtuoso owner at some of the world’s most prestigious music venues.

The 18th century violin could fetch bids in the millions when it goes to auction in June. Aguttes

Key Facts

The violin was made in 1736 by Italian luthier Giuseppe Guarneri, the third generation of his family to make stringed instruments, who worked as craftsman for only 16 years before dying fairly young.

Only about 150 of his instruments are known to have survived to the present day, making them rare and highly coveted according to Aguttes, the French auction house brokering the sale, which added that a violin by Guarneri has not been seen at auction in more than 10 years.

The violin is estimated by the auction house to fetch between $4.2 million to $4.7 million, but it could reach a final bid up to $10.5 million, Aguttes auctioneer Sophie Perrin told Reuters.

The violin is being sold by Regis Pasquier, a world-renowned French violinist who purchased the instrument more than two decades ago and has since performed with it in concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York, Sydney’s Opera House and the Opera Garnier in Paris.

Pasquier is selling the instrument in hopes of passing the nearly 300-year-old violin to the next generation of musicians and continuing the instrument’s centuries of use, the auction house said.

Crucial Quote

“There are many violins, but this one is like selling a Rembrandt, a Goya or even a Leonardo da Vinci painting," Perrin told Forbes in a statement.

Key Background

Guarneri – also known as del Gesù" – is widely regarded as one of the most esteemed luthiers from the 18th century, and is often compared to his contemporary Antonio Stradivari. Unlike Guarneri, Stradivari had a long career and is believed to have crafted more than 1,100 instruments in his lifetime, of which 650 survived to the present day. A Stradiviari violin that was featured on the Wizard of Oz soundtrack is estimated to sell for as much as $20 million at auction this summer, which would break the record for the most expensive instrument.

Big Number

$15.8 million. That’s how much another violin by Stradivari sold for in London in 2011, making it the most expensive instrument ever sold at auction, according to Guinness World Records.