Sotheby’s to Auction 1714 "Joachim-Ma" Stradivarius

All proceeds from the sale of the instrument will go towards scholarship programs at the New England Conservatory

In February, Sotheby's auction house is set to sell the 1714 "Joachim-Ma" Stradivarius violin. The instrument, which derives from Stradivari's Golden Period, has an estimated value of between $12 and $18 million — and is described as possessing a tone that is "rich, complex, and full of depth."

The instrument has been brought to auction by the New England Conservatory (NEC). It was gifted to the school by the late violinist Si-Hon Ma, an alumna of the conservatory. Ma, who graduated with an Artist Diploma in the 1950s, donated the instrument in the hope that it could be sold to fund student scholarships — and now that dream is coming to fruition.

Before the violin was owned by Ma, it belonged to the renowned nineteenth-century virtuoso Joseph Joachim, who almost certainly performed the premiere of the Brahms Violin Concerto on this instrument. Joachim also played a central role in the revival of the Bach corpus for solo violin, and once again his work was carried out on this particular instrument.

In the intervening decades between the instrument's donation to NEC and its sale, it has been played on by countless NEC students.

"After years of individual use by our students, now, we can establish the largest student scholarship program in the history of NEC, honoring our mission to educate and train the next generation of musicians," said Andrea Kalyn, NEC president.

"While it has been a privilege to have one of the world’s finest violins, this sale will be transformational for our students. It fulfills our responsibility to ensure a violin of this caliber is properly maintained and used as the concert instrument it was meant to be. We thank Sotheby’s for their partnership, and we are eager to follow this Stradivari violin’s journey on the world stage."

(Photo courtesy: Sotheby's)