Violin “Violin “The Messiah” in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

The Messiah has been rarely played and shows little signs of wear. A former owner boasted that he had an untouched violin by Stradivari but never showed it, prompting the soloist, Delphin Alard, to say that it was like the Messiah, “always expected but never appears”, This, it seems, is the origin of its present name. In the 1855, it was purchased by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume who lengthened the neck and added a new sound bar, ornate pegs and a tailpiece representing the birth of Christ.

Provenance: Presented by W. E. Hill & Sons.

From Wikipedia

Antonio Stradivari (/ˌstrædɪˈvɑːri/, also US: /-ˈvɛəri/, Italian: [anˈtɔːnjo stradiˈvaːri]; c. 1644 – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial Strad are terms often used to refer to his instruments. It is estimated that Stradivari produced 1,116 instruments, of which 960 were violins. Around 650 instruments survive, including 450 to 512 violins. His instruments are considered some of the finest ever made, and are extremely valuable collector’s items.

Object description
Type: Musical instrument
Location: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Material: Wood
Artist: Antonio Stradivari (1644?-1737)
Date: 1716

Image Details
Date: 28 March 2024
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/28s
ISO: 500
Licensing: Image of an Ashmolean Museum asset. This image cannot be licensed.