The 1679 violin, made by the Italian master Antonio Stradivari, was put up for auction. They can get $ 11 million for it.
The violin is called Hellier, it is decorated with ivory diamonds and covered with gold lacquer. Stradivari kept this instrument for 55 years. In 1734 he sold it to an Englishman for 40 pounds (now $ 50). The violin used to be in the largest collections of musical instruments, but recently it was transferred to the temporary use of the museum. The auction will take place on July 7, according to Hellier is expected to receive $ 11 million.
"Of the roughly 1,100 instruments Stradivari made over the course of his career, only around a dozen are embellished with decoration, and this specimen is regarded by the Smithsonian curators as the best-preserved extant example," the auction house said.
Stradivarius violins are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, they cost from 8 to 20 million dollars.