Violin headed for auction could fetch over $10M
Violin built in 1736 is expected to sell for a few million dollars at Aguttes Auction House
The business of violins
A violin that was reportedly built in 1736 is going up for auction and insiders think it could fetch a few million dollars.
The near 300-year-old instrument is said to have been crafted by Italy’s famous violin maker, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarnerius in Cremona, Italy, and later went on to be owned by French violinist Régis Pasquier, 76, who possessed it for more than 20 years, according to a press release from Aguttes Auction House.
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Aguttes Auction House of France is planning to sell a violin hat was reportedly built in 1736 by Italy’s famous violin maker, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarnerius. The instrument will be auctioned off in June 2022. (REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)
Aguttes plans to auction the historic violin during its Musical Instruments Sale on Friday, June 3, at its auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
The violin measures 13.8 inches (351 mm) and has a one-piece flamed maple back, a two-piece soundboard made of spruce, a scroll and splint made of medium wave maple and an orange-brown varnish on a gold background.
In the violin’s near three-century history, the instrument has been played on many renowned stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall in New York City, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Teatro Cólon in Buenos Aires, Opera House in Sydney, Guangzhou Opera House in Canton and Grand Théâtre in Quebec.
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"We are grateful to have the privilege to offer this exceptional instrument at auction and to pursue its story by finding it a new owner," said Florent Boyer, expert violin maker at Aguttes, in a statement.
FOX Business reached out to Aguttes Auction House for comment.
The auction house estimates that the violin is worth somewhere between $4.2 million and $4.7 million (€4 million and €4.5 million).
Sophie Perrine, commissaire-priseur (auctioneer) at Aguttes Auction House, told Reuters that the violin could potentially sell for up to $10 million.
Centuries-old violins have been sold for millions of dollars in recent years as buyers admire the enduring craftsmanship from legendary violin makers like Guarnerius and Antonio Stradivari, who built violins and other instruments in the 17th and 18th century.
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The world’s most expensive violin was the Messiah Stradivarius, which was crafted by Stradivari in 1716, and has an estimated value of $20 million. It currently resides at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, according to the museum.