$30 million Stradivari viola becomes US national treasure

A 335-year-old Tuscan-Medici viola made by Stradivari has become a national treasure and is housed in the US Library of Congress.

The Tuscan-Medici viola is housed in the Library of Congress . (Source: Library of Congress)

One of the world's oldest and most valuable musical instruments, the Tuscan-Medici viola crafted by Antonio Stradivari in 1690 has just been officially donated to the US Library of Congress. With a valuation of 30 million USD, it is considered the most expensive musical instrument ever valued globally.

At a concert at the Library of Congress in May, violist Roberto Díaz, president of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, performed with the instrument, unaware of its value. “I never thought about the number. Its value is too great to be realized,” he said after the performance.

Viola player Roberto Díaz, President of the Curtis Institute of Music, plays the Tuscan-Medici viola during a concert. (Source: TNS)

Roberto Díaz has had a deep connection with the viola for nearly 15 years, using it to record a concerto by composer Jennifer Higdon on his 2018 double-Grammy-winning album.

The donation of the violin is the result of two major gifts to the Library of Congress. The family of collectors David and Amy Fulton donated $20 million to help the Library purchase the violin from the Baird family-owned Tuscan Company. The Baird family also sold the violin for $10 million below its market value.

“This is a precious piece of cultural heritage and thanks to this donation, the instrument will continue to be preserved and performed for the public,” said Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, Library of Congress’s curator, conservator, researcher and interpreter of musical instrument collections.

Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford holds a Tuscan-Medici viola before a performance by Roberto Díaz. (Source: TNS)

Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) is believed to have made more than 1,100 string instruments, of which only about 10 violas survive. This rarity makes the Tuscan-Medici viola particularly valuable, surpassing even famous violins such as the Lady Blunt, which sold for nearly $16 million.

The viola, which is often overlooked compared to the violin due to its secondary role in the orchestra, has a deep, rich, and rich sound that captivates even the most demanding music lovers. According to Roberto Díaz, president of the Curtis Institute of Music, “its sound has a distinctive resonance, brightness, and a radiating effect that experts call the Cremona vortex.”

The viola was originally made for Prince Ferdinando I de' Medici of Tuscany, a prominent patron of the arts, and later passed through the hands of several owners, including Herbert N. Straus, heir to the Macy's department store chain, and later Professor of Music Cameron Baird.

In 1977, Mrs. Jane Baird, Professor Baird's wife, decided to lend it to the Library of Congress, opening a new journey for the piano.

Judy Zhuo (mezzo-soprano), Roberto Díaz (viola – performing on the Tuscan-Medici instrument) and Lynn Ye (piano) perform together at the Library of Congress' Coolidge Hall on May 14, 2025. (Source: TNS)

The Library of Congress currently owns six Stradivarius instruments, of which only the Tuscan-Medici viola is allowed to be taken on tour. While traveling with the instrument is a challenge, Díaz calls it a “great honor.”

“I always carry it with me, even when I go out to eat. I never leave it alone in a hotel,” he shared.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/cay-dan-viola-tri-gia-30-trieu-usd-cua-nghe-nhan-tai-danh-stradivari-tro-thanh-tai-san-quoc-gia-cua-my-319071.html