Models
3 models
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Stradivari Violin
Violin family of Antonio Stradivari
Violin · Italy
The violins of Antonio Stradivari (Cremona, c. 1666-1737) are the most celebrated in the Western tradition, prized for their projecting, complex tone and refined construction in spruce and maple. Stradivari's output spans an early Amatise period, the experimental 'Long Pattern' of the 1690s, and the mature 'golden period' after 1700 that produced his most sought-after instruments. Surviving examples carry individual names and are held by museums, foundations, and leading soloists; several are cataloged here as exemplars.
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Nicolò Amati "Brookings" Violin
1654 Nicolò Amati violin (Library of Congress)
Violin · Italy
The 'Brookings' is a 1654 violin by the Cremonese master Nicolò Amati, held in the stringed-instrument collection of the Library of Congress. Acquired in Europe on the advice of the virtuoso Joseph Joachim and presented to the Library in 1938, it exemplifies Amati's refined model and golden-amber varnish. Nicolò Amati was the teacher of a generation of makers, and instruments like this one shaped the Cremonese tradition later carried forward by Stradivari.
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Stradivari "Messiah" Violin
1716 'golden period' Stradivari violin (Ashmolean Museum)
Violin · Italy
The 'Messiah' (Le Messie, also 'Salabue') is a 1716 golden-period violin by Antonio Stradivari, held by the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. It is famous for being the best-preserved Stradivari in existence: it remained in Stradivari's workshop until his death in 1737, passed to Count Cozio di Salabue in 1775, and was little played thereafter. Its varnish is almost unworn, the carving remains crisp, and the painted edge-work on the scroll survives intact, making it a primary reference for the appearance of a new Stradivari instrument.