Why is the Stradivari violin superior to all others then and now? That's been an obsession for years, decades, centuries. One violin is considered the de facto best ever made. Some say it was the varnish, some the wood, some the environment. No one has ever made a definitive statement as to why the Stradivari is superior. In an article on the Wall Street Journal reviewing a CNN show Barbara Jepson concludes that it was a combination of factors that created this classic and timeless instrument.
Just for your info a Stradivari violin sells for $1.6 million in recent auctions, private sales have brought up to $4 million. Not bad for a product made between:
1645-1715