The Lady Blunt Stradivarius

The luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume found the violin in Spain in the 1860s and sold it to Lady Anne Blunt, Byron's granddaughter, whose name it carries. W. E. Hill & Sons later bought it from her. Robert Lowe, who owned it for nearly thirty years, sold it at Sotheby's in 1971 for a then-record £84,000, when Yehudi Menuhin played it; it sold again at Sotheby's in London on 14 November 1985 for £820,000. The Nippon Music Foundation bought it privately in 2008 for over $10 million. After the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011 it was sold for the Nippon Foundation's relief fund through Tarisio's online auction for almost £10 million ($15.9 million), more than four times the previous Stradivarius record.

1. 1721

   Made by Antonio StradivariA

2. 1860s

   Found in Spain by Jean-Baptiste VuillaumeA

   Sold by him to Lady Anne Blunt.

3. 1971

   Sold at Sotheby's for £84,000A

   By Robert Lowe; Yehudi Menuhin played it at the time of sale.

4. 14 November 1985

   Sold at Sotheby's, London, for £820,000A

5. 2008

   Bought by the Nippon Music FoundationA

   For over $10 million.

6. 2011

   Sold through Tarisio for almost £10 million for earthquake reliefA

Made by · 1721

Antonio StradivariA

Owned by · 1860s

Anne BluntAmedium confidence

Owned by · 1860s

Jean-Baptiste VuillaumeAmedium confidence

Used by · 1971

Yehudi MenuhinAmedium confidence

Associated with · 2011

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunamiAmedium confidence

Associated with · 2011

Nippon FoundationAmedium confidence

1. A

   Wikipedia, 'Lady Blunt Stradivarius'

   ↗ View original record