An Eighteenth Century Italian violin by Antonio Stradivari played a sweet tune as it exited the auction block at Skinner’s this past Sunday, October 15, hitting a high note of $1,436,000. Estimated at $650/850,000, the rare labeled instrument had a one-piece boldly curled Balkan maple back and was in a wonderful state of preservation.

Cataloged as possessing the “renowned sound projection… which characterize the finest works of the maker’s ‘Golden Period,”‘ the lot was highly sought after. Having never been seen publicly or having been photographed in the past 100 years, the well documented violin has now joined the other 530 known surviving instruments by the maker.

A complete report will appear in a future issue.

—DSS