In the heart of 18th-century Cremona, Antonio Stradivari crafted an instrument of unparalleled elegance. But this violin, made in 1722, would go on to witness far more than just music—it would travel through centuries of political upheaval, cultural shifts, and the rise and fall of empires.
The story of the 1722 de Chaponay violin is not merely one of craftsmanship, but of survival and transformation, following the great tides of European history as they shifted from one shore to the next.
We begin in mid-19th century France...
Paris, under the Second Empire of Napoleon III, is bustling with life—a city of elegance, grandeur, and booming prosperity. The arts are flourishing, and music resonates in every salon. Into this vibrant atmosphere comes the 1722 de Chaponay violin, brought to France by none other than the famous Italian dabbler and dealer, Luigi Tarisio. Tarisio was notorious for scouring Italy’s neglected attics, unearthing forgotten masterpieces, and whisking them away to Paris. It was said he “emptied the attics of Italy” to the great delight of Parisian music enthusiasts. One of these treasures was the 1722 Stradivari, which he sold to Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, the renowned Parisian dealer, who in turn passed it to its next illustrious owner.
The violin soon finds itself in the hands of Count Alexandre-Henri de Chaponay, an aristocrat whose love of music mirrors the vitality of his time. In addition to his massive collection of rare books, the Count possesses a string collection of immense opulence, boasting between thirty and forty instruments, all representative examples of the great makers, including two Stradivaris and one Guarneri del Gesù. The 1722 violin becomes the crown jewel of his collection, its voice ringing out in the elegant salons of Lyon, a city thriving as Europe’s silk capital.
But the world around him is changing. Industrialisation has swept through Europe. The old aristocracy, represented by de Chaponay, begins to fade, and new wealth emerges—wealth born not from titles and land, but from the engines of industry. As the 19th century draws to a close, the violin passes from de Chaponay’s hands to those of a silk merchant, François Boutard, marking the symbolic handover from the aristocratic past to the industrial present.
And so, the violin follows history's currents...
In 1887, across the English Channel, Britain stood at the height of its imperial power. London, the beating heart of a global empire, attracts the finest from across Europe, including this violin, now resting in the esteemed hands of W.E. Hill & Sons, the renowned violin dealers. As the political landscape shifted after the Franco-Prussian War, the influence of France began to wane, and Britain assumed its place as the dominant force. The violin, too, crosses into new hands—those of London surgeon Dr. George W. MacKenzie. It moves through the rising middle class of the British Empire, a class built on scientific progress and industrial might.
The instrument, now over 180 years old, is carried through the halls of Victorian London, a city alive with the energy of the Industrial Revolution. Britain’s reach stretches across the globe, but within its borders, a new kind of collector emerges—doctors, engineers, merchants, and financiers, men whose fortunes are tied to science and industry rather than the bloodlines of the past.
But soon, yet another power rises...
By the early 20th century, the violin finds its way to Berlin, a city undergoing its own cultural renaissance. Germany has emerged from its victory in the Franco-Prussian War as a new power in Europe. The violin’s owner, Dr. Felix Landau, is not just a lawyer but an amateur violinist and an integral figure in Berlin’s vibrant cultural scene. He plays “both the Brahms sextets and the Schubert quintet” with passion and finesse, even studying under the legendary Joseph Joachim.
But this peaceful period is fleeting. As Berlin begins to fall under the shadow of the Nazi regime, the violin is sent to London for safekeeping with W.E. Hill & Sons. Dr. Landau’s son, Hans Helmuth, is forced to flee as a refugee. The tides of history are shifting once again. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Europe is engulfed in chaos, and the violin, a silent witness to it all, is protected from the ravages of conflict.
And then, across the Atlantic, a new power begins to rise...
As the war ends and Europe lies in ruins, the United States emerges as the new global superpower. By the 1950s, the violin crosses the ocean, following the path of wealth and influence, as many of the world’s finest instruments are drawn to the shores of America. In 1949, the 1722 de Chaponay violin lands in the hands of Henry Hottinger, a prominent investment banker on Wall Street and founder of Wertheim & Co. Here, amid post-war prosperity, the violin finds itself among a new generation of collectors drawn to Europe’s treasures—men and women whose fortunes were built not on the traditions of Europe, but on the booming American economy.
The Hill brothers, lamenting the loss of Europe’s finest instruments to American shores, note that this trend was “fuelled by new fortunes on Wall Street” as Americans eagerly bought up the legacy of old Europe. Hottinger’s ownership lasts until 1965, when the violin moves once again—this time to the sunny West Coast of California, to be owned by violin teacher Lawrence Homolka. The instrument, once a symbol of European aristocracy, now resides on the West Coast of the United States, a land of opportunity and reinvention. Its strings, which once played in the courts of Europe, now sing in the hands of professional violinists like Daniel Heifetz, bringing its music to new audiences and new generations.
Today, the 1722 de Chaponay violin continues its journey, not just as an artifact of history, but as a living instrument. Loaned to professional musicians, including Nicola Benedetti, it travels once more across oceans and continents. Its voice, shaped by the hands of Stradivari, carries with it the echoes of centuries of human endeavour—from the aristocratic salons of Paris to the industrial heart of Britain, through the turmoil of war-torn Europe and into the bustling cities of modern America. In every note, it tells the story of the rise and fall of empires, of the power of human creativity, and of the lasting legacy of a single violin maker from Cremona.
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