Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1708, the 'Andrejeus'

Violin: 41977

FIT TO SCREEN FULL SIZE

Bearing its original label, "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis/Faciebat Anno 1726."

Back: One-piece

Top: of medium grain

Scroll: of broader figure

Ribs: of broader figure

Varnish: Orange-red over a golden ground

Length of back: 35.65 cm

Upper bouts: 16.7 cm

Middle bouts: 10.95 cm

Lower bouts: 20.7 cm

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Notes:

"Expert X valued at $3,000,000 to $3,200,000, but believes there is appreciation potential. . . . Beare noted 'One of the most pure. $3,300,000 is good.'"

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Report of the Trustee Review Panel concerning the Golden Age Collection, December 16, 2004

ANTONIO STRADIVARI: BIOGRAPHY AND PRICE HISTORY
FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT
Antonio Stradivari

Provenance

until 1826	A. Frey
from 1826	Baroness LeLoup
in 1907	Baron Roland Leloup
...	...
in 1930	Sold by Caressa & Français
from 1930	Alexis Andreeff
until 1960	Émile Français
1960-1965	George Jay Gould
in 1965	Sold by Sotheby's
from 1965	Enoch Davies
until 1989	Cho-Ming Sin
from 1989	Klaus Heymann
until 1998	Machold Rare Violins, Ltd
1998-2003	Dr Herbert R. Axelrod
2003-2007	New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
from 2007	Current owner

Certificates & Documents

Insurance valuation: Machold Rare Violins, Ltd, Vienna (2002) Values the instrument at $3.5 million.
Certificate: Machold Rare Violins, Ltd, Vienna (1998) “It is original an all its essential parts like table, back, ribs and scroll.”
Certificate: John & Arthur Beare, London (1989) Draft certificate.
Letter: Charles Beare, London (1989) To Klaus Heynmann.
Certificate: Émile Français, Paris (1960)
Certificate: Albert Caressa, Paris (1930)

Cozio holds copies of many certificates and other documents, some of which are available to view on request. Please contact us if you wish to view a particular document. (Note that we do not always have permission to share documents.)

References

Antonius Stradivarius (Volumes I-IV), Jost Thöne, Jan Röhrmann, Alessandra Barabaschi, Jost Thöne Verlag, Cologne, 2010 (illustrated)
Evelyn & Herbert Axelrod Stringed Instrument Collection, Dr Herbert R. Axelrod (illustrated)
Antonio Stradivari, Cremona 1708-09, Ex-"Andrejeus", Amati, New York (illustrated)
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Collection brochure from Violin Advisor, LLC, April, 2007
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Report of the Trustee Review Panel concerning the Golden Age Collection, December 16, 2004
Sotheby's Highly Important French Furniture, Works of Art, Carpets, Tapestries and Fine Violins, April 29-30, London, Sotheby's, Sotheby's, London (illustrated)

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Early history of
the 'Heifetz, Piel'

In around 1876, Count de Chaponay sold the violin back to the Silvestres’ nephew, Hippolyte Chrétien who then sold it to the Englishman Henry Benjamin Merton together with an Amati violin for a total price of 5,000 Francs.

We learn from Arthur Hill that Luigi Tarisio sold this violin in 1836 to Pierre and Hippolyte Silvestre, dealers in Lyon, for 1,500 Francs. The Silvestre brothers subsequently sold it to the Lyonese violinist, instrument collector and bibliophile, Count Alexandre-Henri de Chaponay.

Merton brought this violin to London and consigned it for sale at Foster’s auction house together with the 1740 ‘Ysaye’ Guarneri and the 1690 ‘Payne’ Stradivari.

William Ebsworth Hill bought the three violins at auction and sold the ‘Heifetz, Piel’ to John Clarke Crosthwaite McCaul (1831–1903), his friend and long-time customer. McCaul owned a number of other important instruments including an Amati violin, two Guadagnini violas and a Bergonzi. The ‘Heifetz, Piel’ was his most important acquisition and one of his last.

In 1879 the violin came back to Hills and was subsequently sold to Edmund Janson, a city banker, who lived at Speldhurst, Kent. Upon his death in 1906, his son sold the violin to the J & A Beare firm in London who in turn sold it to Emil Hamma of Stuttgart. Two years later, Michael Piel purchased it from Hamma, possibly upon the advice of Louis Otto, a violinmaker and dealer from his native Düsseldorf.

The Piel family are reported to have owned a number of other important instruments including an Amati and a Guarneri. Rudolf Piel and his older brother, Otto Andrew, are recorded as violinists. Rudolf studied at Philips Andover and then Harvard and Columbia Universities.

Otto Andrew appears to have had a different career path that warrants further investigation. The 1910 United States census lists Michael Piel, his wife, eight children and six servants living in their home on West 72nd Street. Michael’s profession is given as “Brewer” and the only child with a profession listed was his twenty-four year-old son, Otto Andrew, who was listed as a “manufacturer of violins”.

The 1910 US census listed Michael Piel (brewer) with his eight children and six servants. Otto Andrew is listed as a “Manufacturer of Violins”.

Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1708, the 'Andrejeus'

Provenance

Certificates & Documents

References

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