Auction Houses see successful sales in rare stringed instruments
A violin by Pietro Giacomo Mantegazza circa 1770 was among the hightlights of music instrument auction sales that took place in London in March. Estimated between £80,000 and £120,000 the instrument fetched £222,000 including buyer’s premium, at Brompton’s speialised music instruments auction house. Another significant result was achieved by sotheby’s when an 18th century Gennaro Gigliano violin exceeded its £60.000-£80,000 estimate range and finally sold for £109,250. Over £2.5 million in rare stringed instruments was sold on 9 March at Brompton’s and Sotheby’s musical instruments sales, according to the Strad data.
Pietro Giacomo Mantegazza violin. Courtesy of Brompton’s
Violin sells for £180,500
A violin from Bologna or Venice, circa 1715 - 1720, made by Carlo Tononi was sold for £180,500 against a reserve level of £80,000—120,000. The piece was sold at Sotheby’s London in March 2008. Tononi was a luthier from Bologna, where he trained and worked with his family. Works by Tononi range from £25,000 to £350,000, depending upon condition and provenance.
Old Master strings are becoming fashionable assets within the wealthy community. In 2008, wealthy Moscow lawyer Maxim Viktorov purchased the 1741 "Ex-Vieuxtemps" del Gesù for an estimated $3.9 million at Sotheby's. Viktorov is one of a number of high-profile Cremonese instrument collectors.
