Perhaps you saw the news on the stolen violin. Odd case. Yes. Our own Jenny Block brings you the fuller story:
The violin was stolen from the concert master’s house 20 years ago. The DSO waited several years before placing an insurance claim, holding off to see if it surfaced. Surely someone who stole a Stradivarius was doing so to sell it. But it never showed up. A fact that makes Stacy Adams, director of communications at the DSO, think that the person who stole it had no idea what he or she had. Then, last spring, a former DSO musician saw the fiddle offered for sale by Bonhams. That musician called the DSO and they contacted their insurance company (who had already settled the DSO’s claim years ago for $250,000). The insurance company began researching whether it might be the missing Strad. It took a long time to prove it was theirs. “Luckily the DSO kept very good records,” Adams says.
No one seems to know where the violin was for all of those years. Apparently, an attorney in LA gave the Strad to Bonhams to sell. But it is unknown who gave it to the attorney. And attorney-client privilege makes it unlikely that we’ll ever know. But, right now, the DSO is just happy to get it back, something they never imagined happening.
The hold-up now is that the violin suffered damage–another fact that makes Adams think the robber had no idea what he had. Otherwise he might have treated it more carefully. So, the DSO is currently seeking repair estimates. Then, of course, money will have to be raised to do those repairs. Adams says the DSO hopes to have it back in year.
The DSO bought back the Strad for the same amount that the insurance company rewarded to them. “This was part of our insurance agreement, that if it was ever recovered we could purchase it back for the settlement amount.”
The $1 million estimated value being reported is highly inflated, according to Adams. “Since it is a unique instrument, value is up to individual opinion. But we have never received an estimate this high,” she says. The reason for that figure may be that Bonhams thought originally that it was a violin that had never been out circulating in the public. Adams says that $500,000 to $700,000 is more accurate estimate of its value.
Another number that Adams says was reported incorrectly was the year in which the violin was made. The correct year is 1727.
The DSO was waiting to release all of this information until the violin was in their possession. It’s still in London at this point. In fact, no one at the DSO has seen it in person yet. (Although they do have one grainy photo.) Bonhams, however, sent out a press release to some media, and the BBC posted a story online late yesterday afternoon. It wasn’t until 8 p.m. yesterday, when Adams checked her office voicemail, that she discovered the story had been broken. Regardless, Adams says, “We are thrilled to welcome home this valuable instrument. This is wonderful news for both the Dallas Symphony and the City of Dallas as we anxiously look forward to hearing this stunning instrument played once again at its rightful home.”