Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1707, the 'La Cathédrale'
Violin: 40082
Labeled, "Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1707."
Back: One-piece of medium curl ascending slightly from left to right, with original wings in the lower bouts
Top: of narrow grain in the center, opening out to medium grain on the flanks fo the treble side and broader grain on the flanks of the bass side
Scroll: of broad curl
Ribs: of broad curl
Varnish: Orange-red
Length of back: 35.6 cm
Upper bouts: 16.8 cm
Lower bouts: 20.8 cm
Notes:
"The name La Cathédrale (1707) was given to this one-piece back violin by the French violinist J B Cartier whose L'Art du Violon was published in Paris in 1798. It is thought that an officer of Napoleon's army brought this violin from Italy. There follows a gap in its history until 1949 where it was shown to Hamma of Stuttgart; In 1955 it was in the possession of Marius Casadesus; in 1984 Michael Scheinin; and in 1986 it was bought by local company N W Brown Group who put it into their musical Trust Fund - the beneficiary of whom was Nigel Kennedy."Illustrated in The Strad, Feb. 1987.
How Many Strads?, Doring, Bein & Fushi, Doring, Bein & Fushi, How Many Strads? (1999 edition), Chicago
Provenance
until 1831 | Jean Baptiste Cartier |
1831-1872 | Pierre David |
from 1872 | E. Lemoine |
in 1955 | Marius Casadesus |
... | ... |
in 1984 | Sold by Sotheby's |
from 1984 | Michel Scheinen |
1986-1991 | N. W. Brown Group |
in 1991 | Sold by Peter Biddulph |
from 1991 | Anonymous |
in 2015 and until 2017 | Anonymous |
from 2017 | Current owner |
Known players
Nigel Kennedy, Tamaki Kawakubo
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1955)
Certificate: Hamma & Co., Stuttgart (1949)
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
Bein & Fushi 1993 Calendar, Bein & Fushi, Inc, Bein & Fushi, Chicago (illustrated)
Capolavori di Antonio Stradivari, Charles Beare, Arnoldo Mondadori S.p.A., Milan (illustrated)
The Strad, February, 1987, London (illustrated)
Four Centuries of Violin Making: Fine Instruments from the Sotheby's Archive, Sotheby's, Sotheby's, Boston (illustrated)
- How Many Strads? (1999 edition), Doring, Bein & Fushi, Bein & Fushi, Chicago, 1999
The Strad, October, 2000, Jane Dorner, Orpheus, London (illustrated)
Sotheby's Highly Important Musical Instruments Auction Catalog, November 22, 1984, London, Sotheby's, Sotheby's, London (illustrated)
Stradivari Society Recipients
The Jacques Français Rare Violins, Inc. Photographic Archive and Business Records, 1844-1998, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (illustrated)
The Miracle Makers, Bein & Fushi, Chicago (illustrated)