Nicolò Amati violin of 1648
This fine example of Nicolò Amati’s ‘Grand Pattern’ was the star lot of Tarisio’s October 2009 auction. Its former owner was Hollywood music mogul George E. Stoll, best known as the composer of the Oscar award-winning score to The Wizard of Oz. Made at the height of Amati’s career, the violin is one few 17th-century instruments to retain its original neck. Starting with a presale estimate of $350,000-500,000, it sold for $620,000, which is the current record for a Nicolò Amati sold at auction.
