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       LONDON: A violin made by renowned Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari during his 18th century “Golden Period” is heading for auction next month with an estimate of up to a record $18 million.

       The New England Conservatory (NEC) is offering the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius”, with proceeds going to student scholarships, fulfilling the wish of musician and NEC graduate Si-Hon Ma, who donated the violin to the music school.

       Sotheby’s will carry out the sale on Feb 7 in New York as part of its Masters Week of auctions. “‘Strad’ is… like a household name for the violin… like the Picasso of the violin world,” Helena Newman, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, said in London, where the violin went on public display on Friday.

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       “We are estimating the violin in the region of 12 to 18 million dollars, which sits comfortably within the record price already achieved for a Strad…” Stradivari’s violins, which can sell for millions of dollars, are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, with the most sought-after from his 1700-1720 “Golden Period”.

       The 1721 “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius sold for a record $15.9 million in 2011. Before Ma, 19th-century violinist Joseph Joachim owned the instrument. Joachim was a close collaborator of composer Johannes Brahms and “almost certainly” performed on the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” at the 1879 premiere of Brahms “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77”, Sotheby’s said.

       The violin will also go on display in Hong Kong and New York before the auction.

       Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2025