Stradivarius Violin Lady Blunt 1721

Name: Stradivarius Violin 'Lady Blunt' (1721)
Brand: Antonio Stradivari

Tarisio Auctions, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Antonio Stradivari made roughly 1,100 instruments in his Cremona workshop. About 650 survive. The "Lady Blunt" - named after Lady Anne Blunt, granddaughter of Lord Byron - is among the best preserved of all of them. Built in 1721 during Stradivari's "golden period," it was rarely played, spending most of its 300 years as a collector's piece. In 2011, it sold at auction for $15,900,000 - the most expensive musical instrument ever sold. That record still stands.

Quick Value Summary


Item	"Lady Blunt" Stradivarius Violin
Year	1721
Category	Musical Instruments - Violin
Maker	Antonio Stradivari (Cremona, Italy)
Named After	Lady Anne Blunt (1837–1917), granddaughter of Lord Byron
Auction Price	$15,900,000 (£9.8 million, Tarisio, June 2011)
Previous Record Sale	£84,000 (~$200,000) at Sotheby's, 1971
Rarity	Unique - One of ~650 surviving Stradivari instruments

The Story

In the early 1700s, Antonio Stradivari was at the peak of his powers. Working from his shop in Cremona, Italy, he crafted instruments with a tonal quality that, three centuries later, nobody has been able to fully explain or replicate. Scientists have studied the wood, the varnish, the climate conditions, the construction methods. Theories range from a mini Ice Age affecting the density of Alpine spruce to a specific wood treatment Stradivari used. Nobody has cracked the code.

The Lady Blunt was built in 1721. Unlike most Stradivari violins - which have been played, repaired, modified, and worn over centuries of professional use - the Lady Blunt was prized as a collectible almost from the start. It was rarely played, which preserved its original varnish, fittings, and structural integrity to an extraordinary degree.

Lady Anne Blunt acquired the violin in the 19th century. A remarkable woman - Arabic scholar, horse breeder, and granddaughter of the poet Lord Byron - she was a collector of fine things. The violin later passed through the Hill family of London violin dealers and eventually ended up with the Nippon Music Foundation.

In 2011, the Foundation decided to sell. The auction, held online by Tarisio, generated international attention. The hammer fell at $15.9 million - with all proceeds going to the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund in the aftermath of the devastating March 2011 tsunami. As of February 2025, when a Stradivarius sold for $11.3 million at auction, the Lady Blunt's record still stands.

How to Identify It

You Don't Have One

Let's be straightforward: the Lady Blunt is a unique, documented, museum-quality instrument. This page exists because it's fascinating, because it sets the benchmark for instrument values, and because understanding what makes a Stradivarius valuable helps contextualize the broader antique instrument market.

If you do have a violin with a label reading "Antonius Stradivarius" - thousands of copies and tributes were made over the centuries. A label alone means nothing. Professional authentication is required.

How Stradivari Instruments Are Authenticated

Expert examination by leading dealers and auction houses (Tarisio, Bein & Fushi, W.E. Hill & Sons)
Dendrochronology - tree-ring dating of the wood can verify approximate age
Varnish analysis and wood composition testing
Construction details matching Stradivari's known methods
Provenance documentation - major Stradivari instruments have traceable ownership histories spanning centuries

Value Context

The Lady Blunt exists outside normal market ranges. It's unique. But for context:

Stradivari Instrument	Sale Price
"Lady Blunt" violin (1721)	$15,900,000 (2011, Tarisio)
Recent Stradivarius auction (2025)	$11,300,000 (NPR-reported)
"Lady Tennant" (1699)	$2,032,000 (2005)

About 650 Stradivari instruments survive. Many are in museum collections or on permanent loan to performers. When one comes to market, it's an event.

Your violin: If you have an old violin and wonder what it's worth, the vast majority of violins labeled "Stradivarius" are copies or tribute instruments worth $100 to $5,000. Genuine Stradivari instruments are documented, known to experts, and almost never turn up unexpectedly. But stranger things have happened.

Common Questions

How much is a Stradivarius violin worth?

Genuine Stradivari instruments sell for $2,000,000 to $15,900,000+ depending on the specific instrument, its condition, and its history. The Lady Blunt holds the auction record at $15.9 million.

My violin says "Stradivarius" inside - is it real?

Almost certainly not. Thousands of violins over the past 300 years have been made with labels reading "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis." These are copies, tributes, or trade instruments - not genuine Stradivari. A real one would be known to experts and have extensive documentation.

Why are Stradivari violins so valuable?

Three factors: unmatched tonal quality that modern instruments can't replicate, extreme rarity (~650 surviving instruments, three centuries old), and historical significance. Scientists still can't fully explain what makes them sound the way they do.

Could a Stradivarius turn up at a yard sale?

It's theoretically possible but astronomically unlikely. Nearly all surviving Stradivari instruments are documented and tracked by the expert community. If one were "lost," it would be one of the biggest stories in the music world.