Rare Stradivarius used in Wizard of Oz soundtrack sells for near-record US$15.3 million in New York auction
- The violin belonged to virtuoso Toscha Seidel, who not only used it on the score for the Hollywood film, but also likely while teaching his famous student Albert Einstein
- It was made in 1714 by master craftsman Antonio Stradivari, and had previously belonged to the Munetsugu collection in Japan
A rare Stradivarius violin that belonged to a Russian-American virtuoso and was used in the Wizard of Oz soundtrack sold at auction in New York this week for US$15.3 million, just below the record for such an instrument, according to auction house Tarisio.
The violin, made in 1714 by master craftsman Antonio Stradivari, belonged to virtuoso Toscha Seidel, who not only used it on the score for the 1939 Hollywood classic film, but also no doubt while teaching his famous student Albert Einstein.
“This violin has set side by side with the great mathematician scientist as they played quartets in Albert’s home in Princeton, New Jersey,” said Jason Price, founder of Tarisio, which specialises in stringed instruments.
Seidel, who emigrated to the United States in the 1930s, and Einstein, who fled the Nazi regime in Europe, took part in a New York concert in 1933 in support of fleeing German-Jewish scientists.
Of the thousands of instruments made by Stradivari, there are still around 600 known today.
“Of those, many are in museums, many are in foundations and are in situations where they won’t be sold,” Price said.
“There’s a select few which are known as the Golden Period examples, which is approximately between 1710 and 1720,” he said. “And these, for the most part, are those which are most desired and most highly valued.”