Messiah Stradivarius

The Messiah-Salabue Stradivarius of 1716 is a violin made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona.

The Messiah, sobriquet Le Messie, remained in the Stradivarius workshop until his death in 1737. It was then sold by his son Paolo to Count Cozio di Salabue in 1775, and for a time, the violin bore the name Salabue. The instrument was then purchased by Luigi Tarisio in 1827, and later by French luthier Jean Baptiste Vuillaume of Paris purchased the Messiah along with Tarisio's entire collection upon Tarisio’s death in 1854. "One day Tarisio was discoursing to Vuillaume on the merits of this unknown and marvelous instrument, when the violinist Jean-Delphin Alard (who was also Vuillaume's son-in-law), who was present, exclaimed: 'Then your violin is like the Messiah: one always expects him but he never appears' ('Ah, ça, votre violon est donc comme le Messie; on l'attend toujours, et il ne parait jamais'). Thus the violin was baptized with the name by which it is still known."- David Boyden 1969

The Messiah eventually was bequeathed to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England. As a condition in the will of the former owner, the Museum can never allow the violin to be played.

Today, the violin remains unplayed and is almost in its original state as when it was made in 1716. Because of this, it is one of the most valuable of all the Stradivari instruments.

(The authenticity of the Messiah has been called into question by Stewart Pollens, a conservator at the Metropolitan Museum.)

Vuillaume made numerous copies of ‘Le Messie’, the more noteworthy among them being:

2236 of 1860

2374 of 1861;

2455 of 1863

2509 of 1863 which was sold off in auction after J.B.V.’s death

2541 of 1864 and 2556 of the same year, now to be found in the Musee d’Art in Geneve, with carved boxwood pegs and tail piece-the same which Vuillaume fitted to the original instrument.

2594 of 1865

A fine copy without number of the period 1868 Ex- Garcin, which once belonged to Wurlitzer, and Lewis of Chicago & 2936 of 1873

Quotes

In 1775 Paolo contracted to sell these instruments [the 10 remaining from his father's workshop] and other things from his father's shop to Count Cozio di Salabue, one of the most important collectors in history; and although Paolo died before the transaction was concluded, Salabue acquired the instruments. Salabue kept the 'Messiah' until 1827, when he sold it to Luigi Tarisio, a fascinating character who, from small beginnings, built up an important business dealing in violins. However, Tarisio could not bear to part with this instrument. Instead, he made it a favorite topic of conversation, and intrigued dealers on his visits to Paris with accounts of this marvelous 'Salabue' violin, as it was then called, taking care, however, never to bring it with him. One day Tarisio was discoursing to Vuillaume on the merits of this unknown and marvelous instrument, when the violinist Delphin Alard, who was present, exclaimed: 'Then your violin is like the Messiah: one always expects him but he never appears' ('Ah, ça, votre violon est donc comme le Messie; on l'attend toujours, et il ne parait jamais'). Thus the violin was baptized with the name by which it is still known. Tarisio never parted with the violin and not until his death in 1854 had anyone outside Italy seen it. In 1855, Vuillaume was able to acquire it, and it remained with him, also until his death. Vuillaume guarded the 'Messiah' jealously, keeping it in a glass case and allowing no one to examine it. However, he did allow it to be shown at the 1872 Exhibition of Instruments in the South Kensington Museum, and this was its first appearance in England. After Vuillaume's death in 1875, the violin became the property of his two daughters and then of his son-in-law, the violinist Alard. After Alard's death in 1888, his heirs sold the 'Messiah' in 1890 to W.E. Hill and Sons on behalf of a Mr. R. Crawford of Edinburgh for 2,600 British pounds, at that time the largest sum ever paid for a violin.

— David D. Boyden, London 1969

See also

• Stradivarius
• Antonio Stradivari

References

• Vannes, Rene (1985) [1951]. Dictionnaire Universel del Luthiers (vol.3). Bruxelles: Les Amis de la musique. OCLC 53749830.
• William, Henley (1969). Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers. Brighton; England: Amati. ISBN 0901424005.
• Walter Hamma, Meister Italienischer Geigenbaukunst, Wilhelmshaven 1993, ISBN 3-7959-0537-0

• Millant, Roger (1972). J. B. Vuillaume: Sa Vie et son Oeuvre (in French). London: W.E. Hill. OCLC 865746.

• Tarisio and ‘Le Messie’ : Antoine Vidal, Bowed Instruments (Vol. I)

• W.E. Hill & Sons, Antonio Stradivari: His Life & Work, monograph on the “Salabue” Strad and finally Farga, Violins & Violinists.

• The Hill Collection of Musical Instruments, David D. Boyden, Oxford University Press, London, 1969

• Antonio Stradivari – Henley

• 1690 &1716 Tuscan & Le Messie – Hill

• Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari - Hebert K. Goodkind

• How Many Strads – E. Doring

• Antonio Stradivari - Charles Beare

• Italian Violin Makers – Walter Henley
• Millant, Roger (1972). J. B. Vuillaume: Sa Vie et son Oeuvre (in French). London: W.E. Hill. OCLC 865746.
• "Violins, Vuillaume - A Great French Violin Maker of the 19th century". The Multimedia Encyclopedia. 1999.
• Les Luthiers Parisiens aux XIX et XX siecles Tom 3 "Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume et sa famille : Nicolas, Nicolas-François et Sébastien" by Sylvette Milliot published by Edition les Amis des la Musique 2006
• Jost Thöne: J.B.Vuillaume, Bildband mit originalgrossen Abbildungen, Bocholt 1998.
• Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume - Violins and Violinists Series of Violin Makers published by William Lewis and Son
• Les Trésors de la Lutherie Française du XIXe siècle", Paris c 1992
• Lord of the Strings