The majority of this violin’s history is based on the information given by the New York dealer, Emil Herrmann who certified it for it’s owner Dr. Barnet Fine in October 1947. 

Emil Herrmann purchased the Guarneri del Gesu violin in Vienna around 1929 and sold it to Nathan Milstein in January 1930. Milstein (1904 – 1992) owned it until he purchased the 1710 Stradivari “ex-Dancla” in 1934, and finally in 1945 the 1716 “Goldman” Stradivari which he played for the rest of his life. 

About 1945 the “Milstein” Guarneri was purchased by Dr. Barnet Fine (1906 – 1994) of Stamford, CT. Fine also owned another early del Gesu, the ‘ex-Dancla’ (purchased in 1956), the 1714 Stradivari “Leonora Jackson” (purchased in 1945), and a 1732 Carlo Bergonzi “Lord Kingston” (purchased in 1943).

In January 1962 Ernest Karandjeff (1915 – 1986) of Granite City, IL purchased the “Milstein” del Gesu from Jean Fine. He kept it until 1967 when it was sold by William Moennig & Son to Howard Weiss (1939 – 2021) who had been Assistant Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1965 – 1967. Weiss became Concertmaster of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he kept for 20 years, performing as a soloist over 100 times.

The “Milstein” Guarneri del Gesu was sold by Rare Violins of New York and is currently on loan to Oliver Neubauer through Rare Violins in Consortium and the Ryuji Ueno Foundation.

A violin byGiuseppe Guarneri del Gesù

A violin by
Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù