In music, we commonly remember great musicians, artists, and conductors. Names such as Wagner, Bach, or Yo-Yo Ma are recognizable as classical music greats. However, what about the tools and instruments that made conveying their music possible? One of the few great and recognizable names in this context is Stradivarius. These instruments were once made by the Stradivari family of Italy, with musicians coveting them for their supreme sound and quality. 

Few of these prized Stradivarius instruments are left, with there being assumed to be around 650 out of the 1,100 string instruments originally made between the 17th and 18th centuries. Sotheby's New York will auction one of these instruments on 7 February 2024. The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius was previously owned by two of the world’s finest violinists and is now being estimated between US$12-18 million. 

This puts the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius within range of being the most expensive violin sold in auction history, beating a selection dominated by other Stradivari instruments with their impressive records of ownership. Many of these hail from the "golden" period of Stradavarius violins, including the record-holding Lady Blut Antonio Stradivarius, which set the auction record when it was sold in 2011 by string instrument specialist auction house Tarisio for US$15.9 million, a record this current Sotheby’s lot could break.

Ahead of its auction, the violin will be exhibited in Hong Kong at Sotheby's Maison, Landmark Chater, from 17 to 21 January. 

Stradivarius violins originate with the Stradivari family from Cremona, Italy. The city, located in Lombardy, and during the time of Antonio Stradivari part of the Duchy of Milan, was a center of the production of musical instruments, especially string instruments like the violin. 

The first violins predate the birth of Antonio Stradivari by about a century, with a similar three-string instrument appearing in the 1530s, with the craft becoming an important part of the economy of Cremona. Within this, a teenage Antonio Stradivari began apprenticing to become a luthier, someone who makes string instruments, under Nicola Amati, a luthier from a prestigious family who taught many great violin producers throughout his life. 

Once independent, Stradivari began slowly developing his own way of producing string instruments. As such, throughout the late 1600s, Stradivari’s reputation grew, and he began getting more commissions to produce violins, something that coincided with Stradivari developing his style in violin production.

This led to Stradivari’s “golden” period, which ranged from 1700-1725. It was during this period that Stradivari began making violins with larger patterns and dark, rich varnishes. It is this period that collectors prize the most and from which this lot’s violin originates. Violins from this period sell for millions at auction, with the most expensive Stradivari violins sold at auction coming from the "golden" period. 

While the background of Stradivari’s violins is illustrious, steeped in Italian cultural history and patronage, what makes Stradivarius violins so prized? While beautiful pieces of art are on their own, the sound that these violins produce is exquisite and has been impossible to reproduce. 

There is no agreed-upon reason as to why Stradivarius violins produce their sound. A full battery of tests, including CT scans and modern acoustics tests, has not yielded any answer as to explaining the Stradivarius's amazing sound. Theories range from the kinds of chemicals Antonio Stradivari used in his varnish to the nature of the wood used in the violin having come from the Little Ice Age. 

What further raises the value of this violin is its provenance. Specifically, it was previously owned by two master violinists of their periods. First was Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), a Hungarian violinist, conductor, and composer who was known for his career with famed German composer Johannes Brahms.

Joachim is considered one of the 19th century’s greatest violinists, and throughout his life owned 11 prized Stradivarius violins. This one, now on sale, was purchased by Joachim for £200 when he was 19 years old, living in Germany, where he worked as a teacher, conductor, and violin performer, an interesting period where he was maturing rapidly as an artist. 

It is believed that Joachim most likely used this very lot when Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, debuted in 1879. Furthermore, this violin, before Joachim sold it in 1885, would have been featured in other performances of Brahms’ revival of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas.

The second owner of this violin was the Chinese-American violinist Si-Hon Ma (1925-2009). Born near Guangdong, China, he began learning how to play the violin at the age of seven, being taught by his older brother, Ma Sicong, generally considered China’s greatest violinist. Ma eventually immigrated to the United States in 1948 and enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, graduating in the 1950s. 

In Boston, Ma studied under Richard Burgin, who was coincidentally one of Joachim’s pupils. While a talented violin player, Ma’s greatest achievement was the development of a violin mute that greatly improved the quality and practicality of standard violin mutes, a device used to dampen the instrument’s sound. 

Using the money made from the sale of this vastly improved mute, Ma was able to purchase the Stradivarius violin, which he owned and played until he died in 2009. The lot was then passed down to Ma’s descendants, who donated the violin to the New England Conservatory, where a few select students have gotten the chance to play on it. The Conservatory, a non-profit, has moved to auction the lot to support the institution’s scholarships.