Jascha Heifetz' 1731 Stradivari Violin to be Sold by Tarisio

April 15, 2025, 11:20 AM · The 1731 "Heifetz, Piel" Stradivari violin that was owned for nearly 30 years by 20th century violin legend Jascha Heifetz will be offered for private sale this spring by Tarisio, the auction company announced Tuesday.

The violin has been out of public view for more than 70 years.

Jascha Heifetz and the 1731 'Heifetz, Piel' Stradivari violin.

"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," said 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."

Heifetz had several Strads and a del Gesù: he owned the 1714 "Dolphin" Strad, the 1731 "Piel" Strad, the 1736 Carlo Tononi, and the 1742 "ex David" del Gesù. It is said that he preferred the del Gesù, which he kept until his death.

Heifetz said in his correspondence that he used the violin for a number of notable recordings: his 1939 performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto with Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the 1937 recording of Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto. During his ownership, Heifetz also premiered the iconic Walton and Korngold concertos.

In 1950, Heifetz sold the Stradivari to the collector and aircraft engineer from Wichita, Kansas, Sam Bloomfield. Several years later it was again sold to an anonymous collector who kept it privately for more than 50 years.

Here is a video prepared by Tarisio about the instrument:

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