For hundreds of years the name of Antonio Stradivari has been synonymous with the finest string instruments ever made. Although they are worth millions today, even during his lifetime both musicians and nobility coveted instruments from this master craftsman and engineer. Unsurprisingly, many of Stradivari’s violins have remarkable histories and pedigrees; one notable example is the “Lipinski” Stradivarius, crafted in 1715 during Stradivari's golden period.
The violin is named for the Polish virtuoso Karol Lipinski, who played on this instrument from approximately 1818 until his death in 1861. Lipinski was given the violin by a student of the legendary Giuseppe Tartini, the instrument’s first known owner. Known in his lifetime as a violinist, composer, concertmaster, and pedagogue, Lipinski associated with some of the most famous cultural figures of the time, including Franz Liszt, Nicolo Paganini (with whom he had a certain “rivalry”), and Robert Schumann, who so admired Lipinski that he dedicated his famous piano work “Carnaval” to him.
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