Pursuits
Stradivarius Sells for $15.9 Million to Help Japan Quake Relief
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A violin made in 1721 by Antonio Stradivari sold online for 9.8 million pounds ($15.9 million) to help victims of Japan’s March 11 earthquake, more than four times the previous auction record.
The “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius, named after the grand-daughter of Lord Byron who once owned the instrument, was sold today on behalf of the Nippon Foundation by auction house Tarisio, which specializes in musical instruments. The highest auction price for a violin was previously $3.6 million, paid by U.S. violinist Anne Akiko Meyers for the 1697 “Molitor” Stradivarius at Tarisio in New York last year.