Sponsored by Tarisio15 April 2025

The ‘Heifetz, Piel’ Stradivari, owned by Jascha Heifetz during the most important years of his career, has been out of public view for over seven decades. It will be sold through Tarisio Private Sales this spring.

Tarisio, leading experts in fine instruments and bows, announces the sale of Heifetz’s 1731 Stradivari. Owned by the legendary virtuoso for nearly 30 years and played during the most important decades of his storied career, this violin shaped his artistry and inspired generations of violinists and music lovers.

’This violin represents an extraordinary confluence of maker and musician: Antonio Stradivari was the best violin maker in the history of mankind, and Heifetz is considered by many to be the best violinist of all time,’ says Jason Price, Tarisio’s founder and expert.

’The ”Heifetz, Piel” is a remarkable instrument in its own right, and it has the added distinction of being selected by Heifetz during the most critically acclaimed period of his career.’

The fascinating journey of the ‘Heifetz, Piel’ spans three centuries. Made in the last decade of Stradivari’s life, it passed through distinguished hands including the dealer Luigi Tarisio and the collector Count de Chaponay. In 1908, Michael Piel, a successful German-American brewing magnate, purchased the violin for his son Rudolf, who loaned it to the young Heifetz shortly after his sensational 1917 Carnegie Hall debut. Heifetz was so enamored with the instrument that he purchased it outright in 1922.

During this period, Heifetz created landmark interpretations that remain benchmarks for violinists today, including his celebrated 1939 recording of the Brahms Concerto with Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1950, Heifetz sold the Stradivari to the prominent collector and aircraft engineer from Wichita, Kansas, Sam Bloomfield. Several years later it was again sold to an anonymous collector who treasured it privately for over fifty years.

Heifetz owned two other important violins in his lifetime: the ‘Dolphin’ Stradivari and the ‘David’ Guarneri del Gesù, both now in the hands of private foundations and never to be sold again.

’“We will never again in our lifetime have the opportunity to own a part of the legacy of Heifetz,” says Tarisio Director Carlos Tomè. “It would be a beautiful next chapter to see this violin unlock the talent of someone who can continue the Heifetz legacy, inspiring generations to come.’

A comprehensive article documenting the violin’s provenance and cultural significance can be found at tarisio.com/heifetz