Soil Strad

The ‘Soil’ Strad, (pronounced "shwah") or Stradivarius, of 1714 is a famous violin made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. A product of Stradivari’s ‘golden’ period, many consider it to be the finest Strad violin.

It is characterized by brilliant red varnish and a two-piece maple back with the flames of the grain joined, descending from the edges toward the center.

The instrument is named after Monsieur Soil, who owned it in 1902. The violin was eventually acquired by collector Oscar Bondy of Vienna. Bondy also owned the "Hellier" Stradivari of 1679. Yehudi Menuhin purchased it in 1950, and in 1986 he made it available to Itzhak Perlman, the present owner.

See also:

• Stradivarius (includes a list of Stradivari’s instruments)