The Lipiński Stradivari
The Stradivari violin played on by Frank Almond is known as the “Lipiński,” after the violinist Karol Lipiński (1790-1861), who performed on it during the 19th century, just one chapter in a fabled provenance that includes Giuseppe Tartini, The Roentgen family, and Estonian violinist Evi Liivak.
Over the course of a six-decade career, the unparalleled success of the Stradivari workshop has come to define the violin as we know it today and the Stradivari name as a symbol of excellence. Utilizing first rate materials, a high level of workmanship and an innovative vision the Stradivari workshop produced instruments en masse with blinding consistency to a degree that is arguably without parallel in the world of hand-crafted art objects. Built in 1715, the “Lipiński comes at the apex of this remarkable career.
Read more about Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari, deservedly the most famous violin maker of them all, was born in 1644 and worked in Cremona, Italy. By 1690 he had become the dominant force in bowed string instrument building in Europe, a status he retained until his death in 1737.