“Countess of Stainlein” Strad to Be Sold in January

Stradivari Cello from the Estate of Bernard Greenhouse Up for Auction by Reuning & Sons

It’s been an interesting season for string instrument sales this year, with the “Maazel” Guadagnini of 1783 being sold last week and the “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius of 1721 selling for an unprecedented $15.9 million earlier this year. Now there’s a new instrument to add to that list: Bernard Greenhouse’s “Countess of Stainlein” Stradivarius cello will be sold be Reuning and Sons in January 2012 .

The cello itself is a remarkable instrument, representing some of Stradivarius’ best work. Christoph Reuning of Reuning and Sons noted several unique characteristics:

“Of the few Stradivari cellos still in existence, The “Paganini, Countess of Stainlein” is particularly valuable and unique as it represents a significant shift in making by the adoption of a new model called the “Forma B.” The Stradivari “Forma B” is generally accepted as the most significant change to cello-making in the past 300 years. As the Hill brothers wrote in their landmark 1902 publication, “Antonio Stradivari, His Life & Work,” Forma B cellos “…stand alone in representing exact dimensions necessary for the production of a standard of tone which combines the maximum power with the utmost refinement of quality, leaving nothing to be desired.”

As if Greenhouse’s instrument weren’t already valuable enough, consider this: there are only 60 remaining cellos by Stradivari (there are around 600 violins), and only 20 of those are of the famed “Forma B” model. This auction will definitely be an interesting one, with such an incredible instrument changing hands from one of the world’s great cellists. Whoever is fortunate enough to either purchase or receive this instrument as a gift will not only be gaining a great cello but hopefully continue the history of great performances associated with its previous owner.