Pursuit of a 316-Year-Old Stradivarius Violin Looted During War Conflict
In a groundbreaking discovery that has sent shockwaves through the world of classical music, the 1709 Stradivarius violin, known as the "Mendelssohn," which was stolen by the Nazis during World War II, has been rediscovered after nearly 80 years.
The Mendelssohn, a prized possession of the Mendelssohn family, was initially rediscovered around 1995 in Paris. It was then, without the Mendelssohn name attached, that the instrument began its journey towards identification. Through detailed comparisons of photographs and expert analysis of its characteristics like wood grain and scratches, the violin has been identified as the same instrument that was plundered from a bank safe in Berlin at the end of World War II.
However, there is no evidence that the violin is currently owned by the Japanese violinist Eijin Nimura, despite recent speculation. The violin has appeared in auctions and been handled by notable dealers like Tarisio, but it is not publicly associated with Nimura or any other contemporary owner in the information available as of mid-2025.
The Mendelssohn violin, which has been referred to as the "Stella" by Nimura, was first traced back to 1995, when it was in the possession of a Paris luthier, Bernard Sabatier. In 1999, Sabatier issued a certificate of authenticity for the violin, stating that it was made in 1707, two years earlier than the missing Mendelssohn. However, Sabatier later denied writing the statement of provenance that attributed the Dutch provenance to him.
In 2018, cultural property scholar Carla Shapreau came across photos from a Tokyo exhibition of Stradivarius instruments and spotted a violin with striking similarities to the Mendelssohn. This discovery has since been corroborated by experts such as Jean-Philippe Échard, a curator of stringed instruments at the Musée de la Musique in Paris, who agrees that the similarities are "striking and convincing."
For decades after the war, the family searched for the violin, known as the Mendelssohn, without success. The living members of the Mendelssohn-Bohnke family hope to reach a settlement with the current owner of the violin, Japanese violinist Eijin Nimura, who has not acknowledged any claim from the family.
The violin, valued at millions of dollars, was presumed lost or destroyed. It is possible that a contemporary maker could have produced a replica of the Mendelssohn violin with the exact same details, but given that both violins are said to be more than 300 years old, they are almost certainly the same instrument. The future of this historic violin remains uncertain, but its rediscovery has certainly brought a sense of closure to the Mendelssohn family and the music community at large.
- The rediscovery of the Mendelssohn violin, originally owned by the Mendelssohn family, in Paris around 1995, has raised questions about its current ownership, with speculation suggesting it may belong to Japanese violinist Eijin Nimura.
- In the mid-2020s, the Mendelssohn violin, now referred to as the "Stella" by Nimura, has appeared in auctions and been associated with notable dealers like Tarisio, but it is not publicly linked to Nimura or any other contemporary owner.
- In 2018, a striking resemblance between the Mendelssohn violin and a Stradivarius instrument from a Tokyo exhibition was discovered by cultural property scholar Carla Shapreau, which was later corroborated by experts such as Jean-Philippe Echard.
- The future of the Mendelssohn violin, currently valued at millions of dollars, remains uncertain, as its ownership and the truth about its current whereabouts continue to be debated in the realms of politics, general news, business, and entertainment.
