Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1712, the 'Darnley, Eldina Bligh'
Violin: 41371
Bearing its original label.
Back: One-piece
Length of back: 35.7 cm
Upper bouts: 16.8 cm
Middle bouts: 11.3 cm
Lower bouts: 20.8 cm
There are 16 additional images in the archive which are not available publicly. Please contact us for more information.
Notes:
"It was bought from J.B. Vuillaume in 1840-60 and brought to this Country by Mr. Bligh, a son of the Earl of Darnley and a well known amateur of that period, who also possessed a Stradivari 'cello. He retained possession of the violin for many years and, subsequently bequeatheed it to his daughter who was trained as a violinist at Dresden and Brussels. In 1912-13, she married a Hungarian nobleman and, on leaving England to take up her residence in Hungary, decided to part with the violin which then passed into our hands. Its next owner was a Scotch amateur and its subsequent history is well known to you."Letter from W.E. Hill to Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.
Provenance
| in c. 1850 | Sold by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume |
| from c. 1850 | Edward Bligh |
| until 1912 | Eldina Mary Bligh |
| from 1912 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| until 1915 | Hart & Son |
| 1915-1926 | Captain H. S. Murray |
| in 1927 | Anonymous |
| in 1927 | Eva Tanenbaum |
| until 1928 | W. E. Hill & Sons |
| 1928-1929 | Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. |
| from 1929 | Alden Rogers |
| until 1940 | Lady Inchiquin |
| 1940-1948 | Sir Donough Edward Foster O'Brien |
| in 1948 | Sold by Puttick & Simpson |
| from 1948 | Mr. Aufenart |
| until 1978 | Cho Ming Sin |
| in 1978 | Sold by Bein & Fushi, Inc |
| 1978-2001 | Walter Scholefeld |
| from 2001 | Current owner |
Known players
Frank Peter Zimmermann
Certificates & Documents
Certificate: Bein & Fushi, Inc, Chicago, IL (1980)- Certificate: Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., New York, NY (1929) #5713.
- Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1927)
Letter: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1927)- Certificate: W. E. Hill & Sons, London (1889) "The belly of the violin has at some time been slightly browned with some fresh varnish. . ."
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
- Antonio Stradivari: His Life & Work (1644-1737), W. Henry, Arthur F. & Alfred E. Hill, William E. Hill & Sons, London, 1902
- Antonius Stradivarius (Volumes I-IV), Jost Thöne, Jan Röhrmann, Alessandra Barabaschi, Jost Thöne Verlag, Cologne, 2010
The Strad, January, 1979, London (illustrated)- How Many Strads? (1999 edition), Doring, Bein & Fushi, Bein & Fushi, Chicago, 1999 (illustrated)
- Violins & Violinists, April, 1939, Ernest N. Doring, William Lewis & Son, Chicago (illustrated)
https://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/rare-stradivarius-violin-in-action-at-opera-house-tonight/2007/12/04/1196530677245.html- Letter from W.E. Hill to Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., July 29, 1927
- Private Archives - 10842, Wurlitzer
- Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari 1644-1737, Herbert K. Goodkind, Larchmont, NY (illustrated)
- The ‘Lady Inchiquin’ Stradivari, 1711, Cozio Carteggio feature, Alessandra Barabaschi (illustrated)
- W. E. Hill & Sons Photographic Archive (illustrated)