The Laub-Petschnikoff Stradivarius of 1722 is an antique violin

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....

 fabricated 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...

 (1644-1737). It is one of only 700 known extant Stradivarius instruments in the world today.

It was once owned and played by Ferdinand Laub

Ferdinand Laub

Ferdinand Laub was a Czech violinist and composer.Laub was born in Prague. Due to the influence of his father Erasmus Laub , Ferdinand's first public appearance happened when he was 6 years old. At the age of 10 he had his own concert in Stavovské divadlo . From 1843-46 he studied at the...

 (1832-1875) and later by Alexander Petschnikoff (1873-1948). In the early 1960s, The Laub-Petschnikof was acquired by Rembert Wurlitzer, a New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 dealer of fine string instrument

String instrument

A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...

s. It was then purchased by Canadian philanthropist J.W. McConnell

John Wilson McConnell

John Wilson McConnell was a Canadian businessman, newspaper publisher, humanitarian, and the most significant philanthropist in the history of the province of Quebec, Canada.-Early life:...

, who donated the instrument to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra

Montreal Symphony Orchestra

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is a symphony orchestra based in Montréal, Québec, Canada, with Montréal's Place des Arts as its home.-History:...

 for use by concertmaster Calvin Sieb.