The ''Alard–Baron Knoop Stradivarius'' of 1715 is an

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

violin made by

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...

Antonio Stradivari of

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

(1644–1737). It was made during Stradivari's golden period and is regarded as the "finest of the fine," and ''nec plus ultra'' by the W.E. Hill & Sons. ''The Alard'' has the original neck with the initials "PS" found in the mortise of the head believed to be those of son,

Paolo Stradivari Paolo is both a given name and a surname, the Italian form of the name Paul. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Paolo Art * Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter *Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American ...

. The Hill brothers conclude this violin is one of the instruments that came into Paolo's possession upon the death of his brother Francesco in 1742. The ''Alard Stradivarius'' receives its name from French violinist Jean-Delphin Alard, its most famed owner. Upon the publication of the Hill brothers' work on Stradivari in 1902, ''The Alard'' was in the possession of Baron Knoop (1846–1918). The instrument sold at auction in 1981 to a collector in Singapore for US$1.2 million. In the 19th century leading French violin maker Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume made a close copy of the Alard, which today is played by American virtuoso Hilary Hahn.

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* 1715 musical instruments Stradivari violins Stradivari instruments {{violin-stub

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