The instrument is the first Stradivarius to be owned by a private individual based on the Chinese mainland

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The 1727 ‘General Dupont’,’Grumiaux’ Stradivarius violin has been sold to an anonymous collector in China for an undisclosed sum. The sale makes the instrument the first Stradivarius to be owned by a private individual based on the Chinese mainland.

Completed on 11 December 2014, the sale was conducted through Rare Violins of New York, in association with the Hong Kong-based China Guardian Auctions Co. The instrument was previously owned by a businessman and philanthropist based in Cleveland, Ohio, and was for several years on loan to the US violinist Jennifer Koh.

According to a statement, the buyer is an entrepreneur, art collector and amateur violinist who plans to loan the instrument to a Chinese musician. In the future he intends to create a foundation for the lending of instruments. ‘The advent of China’s first Stradivarius is a breakthrough in the history of rare violin collecting and music making in China,’ said the buyer’s spokesperson Lloyd West. ‘There are Strads in Japan and Taiwan, but owing to the turmoil and isolation of China during the 20th century, no such masterpiece has made its home on the mainland – until now.’

Photos: Ziv Arazi/Rare Violins of New York

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