Entertainment Desk

A Stradivarius violin crafted in 1714 is set to be auctioned on Friday at Sotheby’s in New York, with the potential to become the most expensive musical instrument ever sold, reports AP.

The auction house has valued the “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” between $12 million and $18 million. If it reaches the upper limit of that estimate, it could surpass the record $15.9 million paid in 2011 for another Stradivarius, the 1721 “Lady Blunt,” which Guinness World Records recognised as the most expensive instrument ever sold at auction.

Mari-Claudia Jimenez, Sotheby’s Americas president and head of global business, noted that Stradivari made the violin during his renowned “Golden Period,” which began around 1700 and saw a refinement in his craftsmanship.

"This represents the pinnacle of his work," Jimenez said. "It is the finest violin of this period."

According to Sotheby’s, the violin is remarkably well-preserved and has an extraordinary ownership history.

The instrument is named after two of its distinguished owners—Hungarian violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim (1831–1907) and Si-Hon Ma, who was born in China in 1926, moved to the U.S. in 1948, and passed away in 2009.

It is believed that the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius inspired composer Johannes Brahms while writing his Violin Concerto in D Major, due to its deep, resonant tone. Sotheby’s also states that Joachim likely played this violin at the concerto’s 1879 premiere.

Ma acquired the violin in 1969, and after his passing, his estate donated it to the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he had earned a master’s degree in 1950. The conservatory is now selling the violin at auction, with all proceeds dedicated to student scholarships.