Finding a Guarneri violin is like finding a needle in a haystack. Only 150 copies are known worldwide and are therefore rarely available to collectors. However, a copy will be auctioned next month. In 'Auction gem of the week', MASTERS takes a closer look at the pricey string instrument.
According to auction house Tarisio, the so-called Baltic Handmade around 1731 by master builder Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. The Guarneris were one of three great violin-making families in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Cremona, Italy. The family's stringed instruments are still among the rarest in the world. True experts say that Guarneri violins also have a deeper tone than the brighter Stradivari violins of the same era.
De Baltic is the handiwork of Giuseppe – also of Jesus named to distinguish him from his father Giuseppe. A real Jesus You can recognize it by the shorter case and the IHS label. Giuseppe provided his instruments with the three capital letters that represent the Latin word for Jesus.
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Made from maple wood, the Baltic have a powerful sound and just the right shape. The violin was even exhibited twice in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The 292-year-old instrument is also still in excellent condition, especially because it has only been in the hands of true enthusiasts.
The rare violin will go under the hammer on March 16 and is expected to fetch more than €9 million.
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