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119:

A VIOLIN BY GIUSEPPE ANTONIO ROCCA, TURIN, c. 1848

119: A VIOLIN BY GIUSEPPE ANTONIO ROCCA, TURIN, c. 1848


Labeled, "Joseph Rocca fecit Taurini anno Dom.. 1848."

LOB: 35.5 cm

Turin emerged in the 19th century as one of Italy’s most important centers of violin making, producing instruments of exceptional quality at a time when many other Italian schools had entered a period of decline. Among the makers who defined that resurgence was Giuseppe Rocca, Pressenda’s most celebrated pupil, and this handsome Stradivari-model violin was made at the height of his career, only a few years after his encounter with Luigi Tarisio’s celebrated collection. The varnish is rich and plentiful, and the violin remains in very good condition.

The instrument has belonged for the past five decades to Pieter Vel, who has cared for and played it throughout that period. After graduating from the Utrecht Conservatoire in 1977, where he studied with Carlo van Neste, Vel continued his studies with Professor Max Rostal at the Hochschule für Musik Köln before joining the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra as a first violinist in 1980.
  • Proforma Certificate: Jason Price, New York, NY (Sep 16 2026)
  • Dendrochronology report: Peter Ratcliff, London (Jul 3 2025) Dates the latest ring of the one-piece top as 1837.
  • Certificate: Max Möller & Son, Amsterdam (Nov 15 1976)
  • Letter certificate: John & Arthur Beare, London (May 1 1963)

View Documents


Ending on Oct 1 at
4:35 PM Berlin / 3:35 PM London / 10:35 AM New York

Estimate: €200,000–300,000

Bidding opens Sep 22, 2026 11:00 AM CEST

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Ω - TI - non-antique - additional 19% import VAT charged on the hammer
‡ - TI - antique - additional 19% import VAT charged on the hammer
† - Normal VAT rules - 19% VAT charged on hammer and premium
No Symbol - Margin Scheme - 19% VAT-in-lieu charged on the premium (except when exported within 3 months)

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