World’s Most Expensive Violins

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The violin is probably the most popular bowed and stringed musical instrument. It comes from 16th century Italy and the oldest surviving violin dates to 1564.

Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737), the well-known master luthier, is believed to have created 1,100 violins in Cremona, Italy, and 650 of those are believed to still exist.

One such violin, the Lady Tennant Stradivarius, was sold by Christie’s New York in April 2005 for US $2.03 million. There have, however, been private sales of similar violins crafted by Stradivari that likely exceeded this costly figure. This expensive violin was originally owned by Charles Lafont. Its name comes from Sir Charles Tennant, who purchased it for his wife in 1900.

A del Gesù

Even rarer than Stradivari instruments, however, are those created by Giuseppe Guarneri, del Gesù (1698-1744). Guarneri also worked in Cremona and was considered Stradivari’s only rival. He earned the title “del Gesù” (“of Jesus”), also used to refer to his violins, by using the nomina sacra, I. H. S. and a Roman Cross on his labels.

In 2008, Russian lawyer and violinist Maxim Viktorov purchased a 250-year-old del Gesù, once owned by Tsar Alexander II’s court violinist, at a Sotheby’s auction in New York for nearly US $4 million. Viktorov only played it briefly before purchasing it. Afterwards, he refused to play it until Israeli virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman had performed with it. Zukerman played two concerts with what was, at the time, the world’s most expensive violin—one before a private audience of Moscow’s social elite and one public performance at the Moscow Conservatory.

Another del Gesù became the world’s most expensive violin and the most expensive musical instrument in the world in 2010. The Vieuxtemps Guarneri was created in 1741, just three years before Guarneri’s death. It is named after Henri Vieuxtemps, a 19th century musician known for his violin concertos.

Chicago’s Bein & Fushi, dealers of rare and costly musical instruments, are offering the instrument for an astounding US $18 million. Check out their video of Philippe Quint playing John Corigliano’s “The Red violin” on the Vieuxtemps Guarneri below.