The Sergei Roldugin Foundation “Revival of Traditions” purchased four XVIII century violins for 6.5 million USD according to Import Genius. The Guarneri violin bought by the foundation is valued at 2.6 million euros and was made in 1719. The Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin (1783) also cost 2.6 million euros. The oldest purchase, a 1715 Giacchino Pasti violin, cost 0.4 million euros with the Balestieri family instrument valued at 906 thousand euros. All violins were bought from the Swiss company Edwulstrad rmic ltd, owned by Edward Wolfson. The foundation’s registration as “Revival of Traditions” dates to 2017, with a prior 2018 antique purchase from the same supplier.
Article discusses cellist Sergei Roldugin, alleged Putin money launderer, spending $6.5 million on four 18th century violins credited to Giuseppe Guarneri, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Tommaso Balestrieri and Gaetano Pasta. The instruments were purchased from Edwulstrad rmic ltd, a Swiss company belonging to Eduard Wolfson.
CBC News reports that a concert violin made by Lorenzo Carcassi in 1757, in a bright red BAM case, went missing after being left on a Toronto subway car. The owner traveled a route via College to Bloor-Yonge, then St. George and St. Clair West stations before noticing the violin missing; investigators from 13 Division are seeking information.
The Canyon News story reports that a 1710 Amati violin was stolen from a vehicle in Los Feliz on December 8. The FBI Los Angeles Field Office Art Crime Team is investigating and asks for public information, with a $25,000 reward for information leading to recovery. Contact details for the FBI Los Angeles Field Office (310) 477-6565 are provided, along with background on the Amati family and notes on the violin’s cultural significance.
Shan Jie and Lu Yameng report for Global Times on Queshan’s violin industry, highlighting Wang Jintang, the so-called Antonio Stradivari of Zhugou village, and the village’s rise from poverty through a booming violin and cello production sector that now includes over 180 makers and 122 companies. The article notes annual output around 400,000 instruments and an output value of about 450 million yuan ($68 million), with sales domestically and internationally.
CP24 reports that an antique violin stolen on the TTC has been recovered; police are continuing to search for the suspect. The article mentions Kerrisa Wilson in the image caption, but no further details about the instrument or the individuals involved are provided in the text excerpt.
The Violin Channel reports a 1710 Girolamo Amati violin was stolen in Los Angeles, United States, on December 8, 2020. The instrument was taken from a vehicle in the Los Feliz area. The violin bears the label: "Hieronymus Amatus Cremonen., Nicolai Figlius fecit, 1710." A similar Amati by the maker sold at auction in 2018 for over US $900,000. A US $25,000 reward is offered for information leading to its recovery, and the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office can be contacted at (310) 477-6565.
The article reports that at Malpensa Airport, Italian authorities seized two violins and four bows valued at over 91,000 euros from a Japanese traveler coming from Japan via Helsinki. A violin labeled Gaetano Pollastri (1951) and another labeled Giampaolo Savini (2007), plus three bows labeled Paolo Martini Cremona and one bow labeled Victor Francois Fetique were found, along with 27,190 euros in cash. The cash sanction imposed was 2,578.5 euros. A conservator from the Cremona’s Museo del Violino confirmed the violins’ authenticity and estimated values of 55,000 euros for Pollastri and 20,000 euros for Savini, with bows valued at 16,000 euros in total. The traveler was reported for contrabbando.
A $5,000 reward is offered for information leading to the recovery of a missing 1920s antique violin owned by Alexander Reshetnichenko in Lee County, Georgia. The violin, described as a work of art made by Alfredo Contino in 1920 with two bows by Hermann Richard Pfretzschner and a Coda carbon fiber bow, has been missing since July and is the sole item reported stolen.
Cremonaoggi reports that valuables including two violins and four bows were seized at Malpensa airport from a Japanese national arriving from Helsinki, with a cash amount of 27,190 euros also found. Fausto Cacciatori of the Museo del Violino di Cremona was commissioned to assess authenticity and provide a rough valuation: a Gaetano Pollastri violin from 1951 estimated at 55,000 euros, a Giampaolo Savini violin from 2007 around 20,000 euros, and four bows valued at 16,000 euros; total estimated value just under 100,000 euros.
The article reports that the FBI released a photo of a rare 18th century violin missing from a Los Feliz residence on Dec. 8, 2020. The violin is an Amati from 1710, crafted by Hieronymus Amati II, and previously sold for just over $500,000 in 2013; its current value is likely over $700,000. The violin belongs to Rowland Weinstein, an art dealer who divides time between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The piece concerns a rare 1710 Amati violin stolen from an Los Angeles art dealer. The instrument, valued at more than $700,000, belongs to Rowland Weinstein and was taken from his Los Feliz home in an unlocked Tesla; authorities have not identified suspects. The violin was crafted by Hieronymus Amati II and was previously bought for just over $500,000 in 2013 at Tarisio’s London sale.