Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, c. 1714, the 'Joachim Ma'
Violin: 40496
Bearing its original label, but the last digit has been tampered with.
Back: Two-piece with medium curl extending upwards from the joint
Ribs: of wood similar to back
Length of back: 35.5 cm
Upper bouts: 16.65 cm
Middle bouts: 10.95 cm
Lower bouts: 20.6 cm
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Notes:
Hill's comments describe how the young Joachim longed for and finally acquired this instrument at a price which up to that time was the highest ever paid for a violin. Joachim used it in all his concerts for many years. At these musical feasts, the London "pops" in the '60s and earlier, it was an honored guest with Madame Schumann, Rubenstein and Chopin. It was the beautiful voice with which Joachim spoke during that rich period in the history of music when he and his friends Mendelssohn and Schumann, and later the young Brahms, were rediscovering the instrumental works of Bach, Beethoven and Schubert and making them household words in Europe.The Collection of John Hudson Bennett Catalog, February 5, 1932, New York, The Collection of John Hudson Bennett Catalog, February 5, 1932, New York, New York
Provenance
| until 1849 | Müller |
| 1849-1885 | Joseph Joachim |
| from 1885 | Dietrich A. Meier |
| until 1913 | Baron Johann Knoop |
| from 1913 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| Sold by Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. | |
| in 1925 | Alfred E. Stephens |
| in 1925 | Sold by Nathan E. Posner |
| 1925-1932 | John Hudson Bennett |
| ... | ... |
| in 1945 | Paul Stassevitch |
| Sold by Ruggiero Ricci | |
| in 1960 | Sold by Kenneth Warren & Son |
| in 1963 and until 1964 | Hugh W. Long |
| 1964-1967 | Rembert Wurlitzer Inc. |
| 1967-2009 | Si-Hon Ma |
| from 2009 and in 2010 | Anonymous |
| ... | ... |
| from 2016 | New England Conservatory |
Known players
Alexi Kenney, Joseph Joachim
Certificates & Documents
Letter: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1923) To Rudolph Wurlitzer Company.
Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London- Certificate: Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., New York, NY
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
- An Encyclopedia of the Violin (1925), Alberto Bachman, The Library Press Limited, London
Antonius Stradivarius (Volumes I-IV), Jost Thöne, Jan Röhrmann, Alessandra Barabaschi, Jost Thöne Verlag, Cologne, 2010 (illustrated)- How Many Strads? (1999 edition), Doring, Bein & Fushi, Bein & Fushi, Chicago, 1999 (illustrated)
- Mostra di Antonio Stradivari (Palazzo Borromeo - Isola Bella), Turris Editrice, Cremona (illustrated)
- Private Archives - 10842
- The Collection of John Hudson Bennett Catalog, February 5, 1932, New York, New York (illustrated)
- The Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records, 1844-1998, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (illustrated)
- Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari 1644-1737, Herbert K. Goodkind, Larchmont, NY (illustrated)