British fine arts brokers Sotheby’s will auction off the 1714 Joachim-Ma Stradivarius violin in a “one-of-a-kind” sale in New York in February. Expectations for the sale price range from $12 to 18 million USD, which, if realised, will make it the most expensive instrument sold at auction.

The Joachim-Ma Stradivarius, 1714. Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s.

The violin is being offered for sale by the New England Conservatory (NEC), which will use the money to fund student scholarships – honouring a condition that the previous owner of the instrument, the late Chinese violinist and alumn Si-Hon Ma, had placed on his gift to the Conservatory. It will support the largest scholarship program in the institution’s history, said NEC President Andrea Kalyn.

Before Ma, the instrument was owned by Joseph Joachim, a 19th century composer, performer and conductor who counted Mendelssohn and Brahms among his friends. Sotheby’s notes that the world premiere of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major was “almost certainly performed on this very instrument”, and it also held a key role in the revival of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitias.

“What sets the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius apart is its exceptional sound – rich,...