Hammer Stradivarius
Encyclopedia
The Hammer Stradivarius is an antique violin
made by Italian luthier
Antonio Stradivari
(1644–1737) of Cremona
. 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 a 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
, who performed with it for the next twelve years.
On May 16, 2006, The Hammer made news when it was sold at Christie's
auction to an anonymous bidder for US$
3.54 million with a pre-auction estimated value of US$1.5 to US$2.5 million.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
made by Italian luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
(1644–1737) of Cremona
Cremona
Cremona 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 . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
. 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
Christian Hammer
Christian Hammer is a Romanian boxer best known for winning the title at the 2006 World Junior Championships as a heavyweight under his birth name Ciocan...
, a 19th century Swedish collector who is its first recorded owner. The violin made its way to the United States in 1911 with a 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
Kyoko Takezawa
is a prominent Japanese-born violinist. She has recorded on both the BMG and RCA labels.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 graduate of the Juilliard School where her teacher was Dorothy DeLay. Ms...
, who performed with it for the next twelve years.
On May 16, 2006, The Hammer made news when it was sold at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
auction to an anonymous bidder for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3.54 million with a pre-auction estimated value of US$1.5 to US$2.5 million.