Notable Sales: Antonio Stradivari | Violin, 1707
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La Cathédrale
Cremona, 1707
labelled Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1707
length of back 35.6cm.
There is some debate around the origin of the name ‘La Cathédrale’. Some sources report that it was named for the “majesty of its tone”, while others argue the name was coined by French violinist Jean Baptiste Cartier, violinist to Queen Marie Antoinette, who owned the violin in the early 19th Century.
‘La Cathédrale’ was sold by Cartier to Pierre David in 1831, who owned it until he sold it to E. Lemoine in 1872. The violin was bought by the French composer Marius Casadesus in 1955 and sold by Sotheby’s to Michel Scheinin in 1984 for a record $483,000. The sale made ‘La Cathédrale’ the most expensive musical instrument ever sold at auction until the ‘Colossus’ Stradivarius was purchased by Luigi Alberto Bianchi for $726,000 in 1987.
In 1986 ‘La Cathédrale’ was bought for Nigel Kennedy through the N.W. Brown Group, which later became the basis for the Stradivari Trust. The Stradivari Trust also helped Nigel Kennedy acquire the ‘Lafont’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ later in his career. ‘La Cathédrale’ was sold again in 1991 to the American collector, Peter Mandell. The violin was part of the Mandell collection for years, from which it was loaned to musicians such as Tamaki Kawakubo, who won the 2002 International Tchaikovsky Competition.
‘La Cathédrale’ was bought by a private collector in 2017 and remains in private ownership.
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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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