ASCRIBED TO ANTONIO AND OMOBONO STRADIVARI

The Countess Baldiani
Suzanne Chaigneau
Fridolin Hamma
Dr. Wolfgang Kuhn


The first reference to the violin's ownership was made by Alfred Hill in his letter dated April 18th 1933 where he writes ...the instrument depicted as one which formerly belonged to an Italian Countess of the name Baldiani with whom I was personally acquainted, in years gone by. Continuing he relates I, subsequently came across the violin again, it had been sold, either by Fischesser, a Paris luthier, or direct by the Countess herself prior to her death...
The authentication letter from Lèon Fischesser was issued to a Mademoiselle Suzanne Chaigneau in 1907. A well know Parisian violinist, Chaigneau was the daughter in-law of virtuoso Joseph Joachim and mother of the celebrated French soprano Irène Joachim.
In 1933 the violin changed ownership through the Stuttgart shop of Hamma and Company to a Dr. Wolfgang Kuhn. Since that date, ownership has been passed down through three generations of the Kuhn family.