Violin from Stradivari's famed 'Golden Period' could fetch $12-18M at auction

The Manila Times

Violin from Stradivari's famed 'Golden Period' could fetch $12-18M at auction  A violin made by renowned Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari could fetch between $12-to-18 million when it hits the auction block at Sotheby’s New York later this week. The Joachim-Ma violin dates to Stradivari’s Golden Period. It was made by the craftsman in 1714, when he was about 70 years old. The auction will take place on Feb. 7, 2025 during Sotheby’s Masters Week.  REUTERS VIDEO  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net  Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion   Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital   Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  Soundcloud: https://tmt.ph/soundcloud   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews #stradivari  #sothebys

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00:30So this is a 1714 golden period Stradivarius.

00:42So this is a violin that was created by Antonio Stradivari in the city of Cremona in Italy

00:47and these are synonymous with the quintessential musical instrument.

00:51I think Stradivarius as a name has now kind of gotten that sort of allure that you know

00:55that a Stradivarius is the best of the best.

01:26The auction is going to be on February 7th and the estimate of the

01:30Stradivarius is 12 to 18 million dollars.

01:47Stradivarius made just over a thousand violins and at this point in time over 300 years later

01:53around 600 of those still exist. Not all of them are playable,

01:56they're in different states and conditions. This one is an exceptional condition.

02:23This one is also from the golden period. The golden period is a period of his production

02:33which was the very peak of his production. So at the time he made this violin in 1714

02:38he was about 70 years old and one would think that that's pretty elderly for a luthier but

02:43at that point he had really perfected the craft, changed the shape of the violin and

02:47gotten to the point where he had perfected exactly how to create the best possible sound.

02:52So that's why these are the most prized Stradivarius violins.

03:14Stradivariuses are renowned for their depth of sound, the sweetness of their sound

03:19and there is something about the Stradivarius and it's still unknown to this day what it is

03:23about the Stradivarius. Whether it's the shape of the violin, the way that it's constructed,

03:28the wood, the actual varnish that makes it so special. But it is by all accounts anyone who

03:34plays the violin can tell you that it is something different when you hold and hear a Stradivarius

03:39that just differentiates it from any other musical instrument.

03:49So the New England Conservatory was gifted this violin by a violinist who was an alum of the

04:08conservatory named Si Hun Ma. He was a Chinese violinist living in the United States and he

04:14had purchased this violin at the beginning of the 1900s and then in his will he left this

04:20violin to the conservatory specifically with the purpose of their eventual sale

04:24to fund student scholarships.

05:14you

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