Giovanni Battista Guadagnini worked over a period of forty-four years in five different towns and is considered the greatest violin maker of the mid- to late-eighteenth century. This important violin dates from 1772 and was made during Guadagnini’s most prolific period in Turin. The characteristic use of handsome spruce and maple, together with the orange-red varnish, makes this violin a highly representative example of Guadagnini’s mature work. Its delicate features and refined workmanship distinguish it among instruments from this era. It possesses a highly complex and nuanced sound, enabling the player to draw from a wide palette of colours while projecting clearly to the back of a concert hall. This instrument is equally suited to a soloist or a chamber musician with the highest expectations. Jascha Heifetz gifted the violin to his student Varoujan Kodjian, who later joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as assistant concertmaster.