The ''Hammer Stradivarius'' 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 Italian
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
Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', as well as the colloq ...
(1644–1737) 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 ...
. The back measures 36 cm, bearing the label inside: "''Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis/Faciebat Anno 1707''". Dating from 1707, it was made during Stradivari's 'golden' period.
It is named after Christian Hammer, a 19th-century Swedish collector who is its first recorded owner. The violin made its way to the United States in 1911 with violinist and teacher
Bernard Sinsheimer. In 1992, it was acquired by a Japanese oil company in an estate sale. ''The Hammer'' was on loan to violinist
Kyoko Takezawa
is a prominent Japanese-born violinist. She has recorded for the RCA Victor Red Seal label.
Born in Ōbu, Aichi, she started her training in Japan as a part of the Suzuki Method program and was part of a tour of the United States. She is a gr ...
, who performed with it for the next twelve years.
On 16 May 2006, ''The Hammer'' made news when it was sold at
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is ...
auction to an anonymous bidder for US$3.54 million, with a pre-auction estimated value of US$1.5 million to 2.5 million.
See also
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Stradivarius
A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are co ...
References
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External links
1707 works
Stradivari violins
Stradivari instruments
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