Finding a Guarneri violin is needle in a haystack stuff. Only about 150 are known to exist and rarely become available to collectors. As luck would have it, however, one such stringed instrument will be put up for auction this spring.
The Guarneri in question, known as the Baltic, dates back nearly three centuries and has quite an incredible backstory. As such, it is expected to realize more than $10 million in a dedicated online sale that wraps up on March 16.
The Baltic was handmade circa 1731 by master luthier Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, according to auction house Tarisio. For the unversed, the Guarneris were one of the three great violin-making families working in Cremona, Italy, during the 17th and 18th centuries. The family’s stringed instruments continue to rank among the world’s rarest. Musicians also say Guarneri violins have a deep, sonorous tone that distinguishes them from brighter Stradivari violins of the same era.
