Strad fail: Sotheby’s cannot sell $45 million ex-Amadeus viola
mainAfter weeks of almost unprecendented hype, London dealers Ingles & Hayday failed at Sotheby’s last night to get a price for the Macdonald Strad, formerly owned by Peter Schidlof of the Amadeus Quartet. The price being mooted was a record, ridiculous $45 million.
The dealers used every gimmick on the PR handbook short of having a soloist fall onto the instrument, but the market was not interested. A shamefaced Sotheby’s has yet to tweet the result. After last week’s failure by Christies to shift a $10 million Kreutzer Strad, it looks as if some sanity may return to the top end of instrument prices.
Which is good news for everyone – unless you own one.
Comments