The instrument went up for auction at Sotheby’s New York on 7 February 2025, with proceeds going towards scholarships at New England Conservatory
Sotheby’s has sold the 1714 ‘Joachim-Ma’ Stradivari violin for $11.25 million (including buyer’s premium). The final sale price was under its estimated value of $12-18 million, announced by the auction house in December 2024. The auction took place in New York on 7 February at 11:15am EST, following a short performance on the instrument.
The proceeds of the sale will go towards establishing the largest named student scholarship fund in New England Conservatory’s (NEC) history.
The violin from the maker’s ‘Golden Period’ was in the possession of Si-Hon Ma from 1967 onwards. Ma was a violinist and pedagogue who graduated with an Artist Diploma from NEC in the 1950s. It was then given to the school in 2015 with the expectation that it could one day be sold to provide student scholarships.
The instrument also takes its name from the violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim (1831-1907), who purchased it in 1849 and is said to have performed on it for the 1879 premiere of the Brahms Violin Concerto. The prolific instrument collector, Baron Johann Knoop, also owned the instrument in the early 20th century.
From 2013 to 2015, the violin was exhibited in the Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy.
The violin features a handsome two-piece quarter cut maple back, mostly of broad curl ascending from the center joint. The quarter cut maple ribs are of similar wood and the maple head is of fainter broad curl. The two-piece spruce table is of fine grain broadening slightly toward the flanks and the instrument’s varnish is of a rich red brown color over an amber gold ground.
Dendrochronological tests have revealed that the latest visible tree-rings on the bass and treble sides date from 1699.
Read: ‘Salabue, Matsuda’ Stradivari violin fetches $3.48 million at auction
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