- Oct 20, 2013
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The FBI is in hot pursuit this Christmas season of a violin thief . The stolen violin is a 1710 Amati, crafted by one of the most important violin makers in musical instrument history, Hieronymus Amati II. It’s in excellent condition and, according to auction records, sold for just over half a million dollars in 2013 — it would likely be worth more than $700,000 today.
The 310-year-old violin belongs to Rowland Weinstein, who is not a musician but an art dealer who splits his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The violin, which he allowed musician friends and professional violinists to play, was in his white Tesla, parked outside his Los Feliz home, when someone stole the vehicle from his property Dec. 8.
A spokesperson for the FBI, Laura Eimiller, said no suspects have been identified and no one has been charged yet. Neither car nor violin has turned up and it’s not certain, she said, that the instrument was the thief’s target. "According to LAPD, a car thief is believed to have been in the area,” Eimiller said. “It’s possible that the person who stole it may not have known the value and discovered it [later] and may try to pawn it or sell it overseas."
Weinstein said. “It’s so fragile. My biggest fear is that someone who doesn’t know what they have, will put it in the wrong environment, and it will get damaged or destroyed.” Weinstein's instrument was so valuable because it was made during a seminal “golden period” in the history of violin making — 1700-1720 — and because the Amati family is credited with birthing the modern violin. The family crafted string instruments in the Italian town of Cremona, starting in the mid 16th century.
Weinstein said >> “I feel extremely close to it, because it’s a part of history that has touched so many lives. Not just the lives of people who have been lucky enough to play it, but those who have heard it over 300 years.”
Rare 310-year-old violin stolen from art dealer's Los Feliz home (yahoo.com)
The 310-year-old violin belongs to Rowland Weinstein, who is not a musician but an art dealer who splits his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The violin, which he allowed musician friends and professional violinists to play, was in his white Tesla, parked outside his Los Feliz home, when someone stole the vehicle from his property Dec. 8.
A spokesperson for the FBI, Laura Eimiller, said no suspects have been identified and no one has been charged yet. Neither car nor violin has turned up and it’s not certain, she said, that the instrument was the thief’s target. "According to LAPD, a car thief is believed to have been in the area,” Eimiller said. “It’s possible that the person who stole it may not have known the value and discovered it [later] and may try to pawn it or sell it overseas."
Weinstein said. “It’s so fragile. My biggest fear is that someone who doesn’t know what they have, will put it in the wrong environment, and it will get damaged or destroyed.” Weinstein's instrument was so valuable because it was made during a seminal “golden period” in the history of violin making — 1700-1720 — and because the Amati family is credited with birthing the modern violin. The family crafted string instruments in the Italian town of Cremona, starting in the mid 16th century.
Weinstein said >> “I feel extremely close to it, because it’s a part of history that has touched so many lives. Not just the lives of people who have been lucky enough to play it, but those who have heard it over 300 years.”
Rare 310-year-old violin stolen from art dealer's Los Feliz home (yahoo.com)
