The instrument’s back, ribs and head showcase Stradivari’s early work from around 1666, while the front was remade during the maker’s Golden Period
Tarisio has announced the sale of the ‘Salabue, Matsuda’ Stradivari violin for $3.48 million (including buyer’s premium), following auction in New York on 14 November 2024.
’The “Salabue, Matsuda” Stradivarius attracted a wide range of interest, and we are delighted that it will continue its illustrious legacy in the hands of a wonderful steward who treasures both its important history and its exquisite sound,’ said Tarisio in a statement.
The instrument was made c.1666 at the very start of Stradivari’s career, and is one of the best preserved examples of the maker’s early work. Interestingly, the front was remade by Stradivari around fifty years later in 1716, at the height of his Golden Period.
The violin takes its name from its first known owner, Count Cozio di Salabue. Count Cozio knew of the instrument’s remade back by the maker, stating: ’Stradivari was undoubtedly a pupil of Nicolo Amati because his instruments from the 17th century follow the Amati style and are often labeled Amati, in fact, [I] have one beautiful and well preserved violin by Stradivari from the year 1666 in [my] collection where the front was changed by Stradivari himself many years later in his later style.’
The violin has been in possession of renowned violinist Yoko Matsuda since 1970. Matsuda studied at the Toho School of Music in Japan and later received a Master of Music degree from Yale University. She won first prize in the 1963 Young Concert Artists International competition and has won many other awards including first prize in the Merriweather Post Competition in Washington DC.
She has performed as soloist with major orchestras both in the US and in Japan. As a chamber musician she has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and at the Marlboro Music Festival. She was a member of the Yale Quartet, and was the founder and first violinist of the Sequoia Quartet, which won the 1976 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. She has recorded for the Vanguard, Delos, CRI, and Nonesuch labels.
All photos courtesy of Tarisio
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