Notable Sales: Antonio Stradivari | Violin, 1699
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Lady Tennant
Cremona, 1699
labelled Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1699
length of back 35.5cm.
Described by the Strad Magazine as the first Stradivari of the Golden Period, the ‘Lady Tennant’ was owned by Charles Philippe Lafont, a French composer and violinist, until his death in 1839. Lafont served as chamber violinist to both Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Louis XVIII of France. In a competition in Milan in 1816, he tied for first place with Niccolò Paganini. In 1839, he sold the ‘Lady Tennant’ to Henry Hill who passed it to his son, William Ebsworth Hill, when William founded W.E. Hill & Sons.
Hill & Sons sold the violin in 1900 to Sir Charles Tennant who gave the violin as a gift to his wife, Lady Tennant, an amateur violinist. Lady Tennant played the violin until it was sold to Max Möller & Son in 1925.
Möller & Son sold it in 1944 to Bernhard Sprengel, who owned the violin until 1981, when it was bought by Edith Dittrich, a violin maker in Switzerland. Dittrich consigned the ‘Lady Tennant’ to Sotheby’s for sale at auction in November 1983, but it failed to sell so she retained ownership until 2005 when it was sold at auction by Christies for just over USD 2,000,000.
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Tim Ingles and Paul Hayday will offer an initial evaluation of the authenticity and value of your instrument or bow. At this stage, the assessment is free and without obligation. In the first instance, we suggest submitting good-quality images to us, preferably by email to info@ingleshayday.com or by completing the valuation form.
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