Dolphin Stradivarius
Encyclopedia
The Dolphin; Delfino Stradivarius of 1714 is an antique violin
made by Italian luthier
Antonio Stradivari
of Cremona
. This violin was once owned and played by the virtuoso Jascha Heifetz
(1901–1987). The owner in the late 19th century, George Hart, who was an instrument dealer in London, named the violin Dolphin as its striking appearance and colouring of its back reminded him of a dolphin.
Provenance
The Dolphin is currently owned by the Nippon Music Foundation
on loan to violinist Akiko Suwanai
.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
made by Italian luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
of Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
. This violin was once owned and played by the virtuoso Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
(1901–1987). The owner in the late 19th century, George Hart, who was an instrument dealer in London, named the violin Dolphin as its striking appearance and colouring of its back reminded him of a dolphin.
Provenance
- 1862: purchased by Mr. C. G. Meier for FRFFrench francThe franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
6,500 (GB£Pound sterlingThe pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
260) - 1868: purchased by George Hart for GB£200.
- unk: purchased by Louis D'Egville
- unk: re-purchased by George Hart.
- 1875: purchased by John Adam for GB£625.
- unk: at the dispersal of the Adams collection, the violin became the property of David Laurie.
- 1882: purchased by Mr. Richard Bennett for GB£1,100.
- 1951: acquired by Jascha HeifetzJascha HeifetzJascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
.
The Dolphin is currently owned by the Nippon Music Foundation
Nippon Music Foundation
The Nippon Music Foundation is an organisation under the supervision of the Arts and Culture Promotion Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education...
on loan to violinist Akiko Suwanai
Akiko Suwanai
is a Japanese classical violinist.She was the youngest winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990. In addition, she won second place in the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in 1989 and is a laureate of the International Japan Competition.She has studied with Toshiya Eto at the...
.