14 DAY TRIAL // Christie's has recently blown the whistle on the fact that, if its estimates are correct, a Stradivarius violin that is to be auctioned off in New York City, US, later this week will fetch as much as $10 million (€7.37 million).
Information shared with the public by the auction house says that the musical instrument is estimated to be about 300 years old. Despite being one of the greatest violins ever made, it's been years since it was last played.
Thus, auction house Christie's says that the violin last owner was one Huguette M. Clark, whose father became terribly rich after getting involved in mining, banking, and railroad industries, Live Science informs.
Courtesy of their impressive income, the Clarks were able to spend quite a lot on valuable musical instruments without ever having to worry that they might not be able to make ends meet, the same source details.
Word has it that, over the years, the Clark family came to own as many as 9 Stradivarius instruments. In a telegram sent to Huguette, her mother referred to the violin that will soon be auctioned off as “the most fabulous violin in the world.”
Huguette M. Clark might have kept the musical instrument in a closet for 25 years in a row, but the violin's previous owner, a violinist by the name Rodolphe Kreutzer did not shy away from putting it to work as often as he had the chance.
Suffice it to say that Rodolphe Kreutzer coughed out 42 short but very difficult musical compositions meant to serve as teaching tools, 19 violin concertos, and 40 operas throughout his lifetime to prove that he used the musical instrument extensively.
Add to this the fact that Antonio Stradivari is believed to be one of the world's best violin makers, and it is no wonder that auction house Christie's expects the 300-year-old violin to sell for as much as $10 million. More so since just 650 musical instruments made by Antonio Stradivari are now left in the world.
As proof that the musical instrument is authentic and not some elaborate hoax, Christie's maintains that the makeup of its wood matches that of three other violins Stradivari is known to have created during his lifetime.
While trying to match the violin with a new owner, Christie's first organized a sealed biding that took place this past June 6. The folks who made the best offers during this biding will get to once again bid on the violin on Friday, June 13.