The instrument, containing a label dated 1713, was found in a car travelling to Romania
Ukrainian customs officials have reported the seizure of an instrument they believe may have been made in 1713 by Antonio Stradivari. The instrument was discovered in the boot of a car crossing through the Porubne checkpoint into Romania, on the evening of 9 July.
The report read: ‘During the inspection of the boot of the car, the border guards and customs representatives discovered a violin marked “Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1713”, which is probably of cultural and historical value. Customs officials seized the instrument and sent it for examination.’ The driver was said to be a resident of Chernivtsi, close to the Romanian border, and born in 1976.
This is the third alleged Stradivari instrument to be seized by border guards in recent months. In May 2024 another report stated that a 1713 Stradivari had been found in the luggage compartment of a car heading to Poland. And in July 2023 a violin with a 1730 label was discovered in the cabin of a bus passing through the Palanka-Mayaki-Udobne checkpoint in the Odessa region.
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