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The Art of Music

26-29 NOVEMBER 2015 | HONG KONG

The name Stradivari is synonymous with some of the world’s most famous musical instruments. This season Christie’s will present a number of rare violins of the master maker’s finest works for private sale in The Art of Music  alongside examples by his contemporary Giuseppe Bartolomeo Guarneri del Gesù.

Dating from the late 17th and early 18th century – the golden age of Italian instruments – each piece is exquisite in both sound and beauty. Many of these exceptional instruments have been played by some of the world’s leading musicians, from Alfredo Carlo Piatti to Jacqueline du Pré, and now they will be passed onto a new generation of music lovers.

This selection of violins and cellos will be on view alongside the prized ‘Titian’ Stradivarius from October to November in Hong Kong and Shanghai. 

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The Story of Stradivari and Guarneri Del Gesù

Find out how two 18th-century craftsmen came to make instruments that have never been surpassed and watch virtuoso Vadim Repin play seven of the great violins they created.

View the Interactive

The Instruments and Legendary Artists Who Owned and Played Them

Discover the famous musicians who owned and played some of the greatest violins and cellos from the Golden Age of Italian instruments

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    Stradivari

    A Violincello, Known as the Du Pré, Harrell, Cremona, 1673

    Did you know?
    Fewer than 65 Strad cellos survive and only 27 cellos dated before 1700; many are already in institutional collections.

    Artist biography
    This cello is named after legendary British cellist Jacqueline du Pré and later played by American cellist Lynn Harrell and Russian Nina Kotova.

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    Stradivari

    Ex- Kochanski, Rosenheim, 1686

    Did you know?
    The 1686 Kochański, Rosenheim comes from what is commonly referred to as Stradivari’s Amatise period and bears one of Stradivari’s earliest labels.

    Artist biography
    Willy Rosenheim is the first recorded owner, said to have loaned the instrument to Polish violinist and composer Paweł Kochański.

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    Stradivari

    Muir-MacKenzie, 1694

    Did you know?
    This instrument is in extraordinarily fine condition with little to no structural repairs. This is a rare occurrence for a violin that is 320-years old.

    Artist biography
    This violin is named after Mr. K.S. Muir-Mackenzie, husband of the Lady Muir-Mackenzie. It was also owned by German violinist Maria Grevesmühl, the youngest daughter of the famous concert master and music teacher Hermann Grevesmühl and played by Austrian violinist Fritz Siegel, a highly respected concertmaster of leading American orchestras and opera companies.

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    Stradivari

    Baron von der Leyen, Ex-Klaveness, 1705

    Did you know?
    A classic example of Stradivari’s early ‘Golden Period’ work, this violin projects a grace and flow of the outline that has come to epitomise Stradivari’s work.

    Artist biography
    This violin is named after previous owners Baron Friedrich Heinrich von der Leyen, the famed German textile manufacturer and Anton Fredrik Klaveness, Norwegian ship owner who founded Philharmonic Company.

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    Stradivari

    Piatti, 1717

    Did you know?
    The Piattiviolin is a classic work from Stradivari’s ‘Golden Period’ illustrating Stradivari’s unsurpassed skill in workmanship and design.

    Artist biography
    Owned by Alfredo Carlo Piatti son of Italian violinist, Antonio Piatti.

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    Guarneri, del Gesù

    Von Vecsey, Kubelik, c 1728

    Did you know?
    This classically composed violin with a body length of 35.5 cm and 16.7 cm to 20.3 cm. across the upper and lower bouts is based on a Stradivari model but with slightly more curvature in the outline.

    Artist biography
    Previously owned by Budapest violinist, M. Krancsevics, the violin was sold to Czech soloist Jan Kubelík who in turn sold the violin in about 1905 to Ludwig von Vecsey for the use of his son, Hungarian violinist Franz von Vecsey.

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    Guarneri, del Gesù

    Viotti, Kathleen Parlow, c 1735

    Did you know?
    This instrument represents the peak of Guarneri’s development as a violin maker in what is believed to be his most creative year.

    Artist biography
    Owned and played by virtuoso Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755–1824) and by Canada’s Kathleen Parlow (1890–1963), the first foreigner to attend the St Petersburg Conservatoire.

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    Guarneri, del Gesù

    Lafont, Brodsky, c 1736

    Did you know?
    This instrument was made at the height of Guarneri’s creative powers and is the violin of choice of Russian virtuoso Vadim Repin, face of the exhibition.

    Artist biography
    Named after Charles Philippe Lafont (1781 –1839), French violinist and composer owner.

    Later owned by Alfred Brodsky, Russian violinist who premiered Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and was the work’s dedicatee.

    Currently played by one of the world’s leading musicians, Vadim Repin.

Sale & Exhibition Information

Exhibition Information

  • Venue

    Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
    1 Expo Dr, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

  • Viewing

    Nov 26, 10:30am – 6pm
    Nov 27, 10:30am – 6pm
    Nov 28, 10:30am – 6pm
    Nov 29, 10:30am – 6:30pm

  • Contact

    artofmusic@christies.com
    Tel: +852 2760 1766