Stradivarius violin up for auction, estimated at $18 million

(Patria) - An 18th-century violin made by the renowned Italian instrument maker Antonio Stradivari during his "golden age" is going up for auction next month, with its value estimated at a record $18 million.

The New England Conservatory (NEC) is selling the violin, named the "Joachim-Ma Stradivarius," with proceeds going to student scholarships, fulfilling the wish of Si-Hon Ma, a musician and NEC alumnus who donated the violin to the institution.

The auction will be held on February 7 in New York by Sotheby's as part of its Old Masters week of auctions.

"'Strad' is already... like a name for a violin... like a Picasso of the violin world," Helena Newman, chairwoman of Sotheby's European fine art division in London, where the violin was publicly exhibited on Friday, told Reuters.

"We estimate the violin in the range of $12 million to $18 million, which fits within the record price that has already been achieved for a Strad."

Stradivarius violins, which sell for millions of dollars, are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, with those from his "golden age" between 1700 and 1720 being the most sought-after.

His 1721 violin, the "Lady Blunt," sold for a record $15.9 million in 2011.

Before Ma, the instrument was owned by the 19th-century violinist Joseph Joachim, a close associate of composer Johannes Brahms, and "almost certainly" performed on this instrument, the so-called "Joachim-Ma Stradivarius," at the premiere of Brahms' "Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77" in 1879, Sotheby's announced.

The violin will also be exhibited in Hong Kong and New York before the auction.