Over the past few years, it has been more common to see the instrument collections of famous musicians go up for auction. While many of these are guitars belonging to rockstars, classical instruments have also become more commonplace as they move into mainstream auction houses and away from specialist dealers in musical instruments. 

Just such an instrument has just been sold by Sotheby’s, the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin. It was part of a special one-lot sale, of the same name, on 7 February 2025, and it went for US$11.2 million, placing it fourth in the hierarchy of most expensive violins sold at auction.

The price of this violin is strongly driven by its provenance, having been owned by two of the most famous violinists in history. Funds raised from this sale are being used to support the education of future promising young musicians.

The auctioneer Phyllis Kao opened bidding at US$8 million with a rapid flurry of interest from bidders who drove up the price in increments of US$500,000 each time. These bidders were all represented by Sotheby’s staff on the phone, with the winning bidder, who held paddle number 2, being represented by Sotheby’s International Head of Old Master Division Christopher Apostle. 

The buyer paid a hammer price of US$10 million, which, after Sotheby’s current fee structure, led to a final sale price of US$11.2 million.

Perhaps the most stunning part of this auction was not the bidding for the lot itself, but the fact that before the sale, violinist Geneva Lewis played Bach’s Sonata No. 3 on the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius. Lewis is a graduate of the New England Conservatory. The proceeds of the sale will go back to the conservatory to fund future scholarships at the institution.

Stradivarius violins originate in the north Italian city of Lombardy in the Duchy of Milan, which at the time was a center of string instrument production in Europe. These various string instruments find their origins in Northern Italy with a three-string instrument that was first seen in the 1530s.

Antonio Stradivari, founder of the legendary line of violin makers, came from the city of Cremona within the Lombardy region, an area where making string instruments was a major part of the economy. As a teenager, Stradivari apprenticed 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. 

When Stradivari broke out on his own, he began developing his own way of making string instruments, with his commissions throughout the 1600s steadily rising, along with his reputation. This led to Stradivari’s “Golden” period, during the early 1700s. 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 from.

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.

Experts cannot seem to agree as to why these violins produce such exquisite sounds. One of the key points is that Stradivari was far more experimental with the form and dimensions of his violins as opposed to his contemporaries, especially in France. Stradivari also used a blend of woods for different parts of his violins, possibly creating the iconic sounds of the instrument. 

Scientific analysis of the wood also reveals it may have been treated with a wash with minerals or even honey to prevent mildew. Other theories range from the chemicals 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 respective periods. Its first famous owner 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 was still maturing 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 would have been featured in other performances of Brahms’ revival of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas, before it was sold in 1885.

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 the greatest violinist to come from China. 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 four select students have gotten the chance to play on it. It was also donated on the condition that it could be sold in the future to support student scholarships, which is why it entered the market. Its timing is important as recent slashes to the US budget put scholarships for promising young musicians at risk.