How museums hold and display Stradivari instruments: quick facts

A number of the finest Stradivari instruments are held by museums and public institutions rather than private owners. The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford holds the famous 'Messiah'; the Smithsonian in Washington owns a quartet of Stradivari instruments; and the Library of Congress holds Stradivari violins and a cello, some of which are played in concerts. These institutions preserve the instruments as cultural heritage, control their climate and handling, and sometimes lend them to musicians so the public can still hear them. Museum stewardship takes the greatest Stradivari out of the commercial market and ensures they survive for future generations, a different model from the private collecting and foundation loans that govern others.

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Sources: Tarisio — Cozio Archive of stringed instruments; Library of Congress — Stradivari instruments / Whittall Collection; The Metropolitan Museum of Art — musical instruments collection. Educational information only — not financial, investment, or appraisal advice. See our sources & fact-check policy.