Baron Knoop, ex-Bevan Stradivarius

History

Baron Knoop was a collector who at various times owned dozens of fine violins, violas, and cellos, including four violas that make up more than a third of all surviving Stradivari violas. After the instrument was sold to J.E. Greiner through Wurlitzer in New York, the W. E. Hill firm in London suggested naming the violin after their client, Baron Knoop. Several instruments by renowned luthiers carry the Baron Knoop name, including another Stradivari from 1715 called the Alard-Knoop. In their 1902 book Antonio Stradivari His Life and Work, while the violin was owned by London banker F.L. Bevan, the Hills referred to it as the Knoop and described it as being "of the first rank." They also noted, based on a letter given to Greiner when he bought the Baron Knoop, that this was the violin Knoop most enjoyed playing.

Collector David L. Fulton purchased the instrument for $2.75 million in February 1992. Thirty-three years later, in a sale arranged by Bein & Co, it was sold for $23 million, the highest price ever paid for a violin, surpassing the previous record set by the Vieuxtemps Guarneri in 2013. Fulton said the violin he acquired had been poorly revarnished and was carefully restored, with John Becker spending three months removing the applied varnish. Fulton called it his favorite and declared he would keep it "as long as I can draw a bow."

Did You Know?

• David Fulton described the instrument as "supple, very easy to play, has a powerful, resonant bass register, and a treble register that is silvery with lots of 'sizzle'."
• The violin's provenance includes owners such as Rogoff, Oechsner, C.G. Meier, Kloop, F.L. Bevan, Richard Bennett, J.E. Greiner, J. Frank Otwell, Raymond Cerf, David L. Fulton, and an anonymous buyer from 2025 onward.