The Lauterbach Stradivarius of 1719 is an antique violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 fabricated by Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 luthier

Luthier

A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...

, Antonio Stradivari

Antonio Stradivari

Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...

 of Cremona

Cremona

Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...

 (1644-1737). The instrument derives its name from previous owner, German virtuoso, Johann Christoph Lauterbach.

History of owners

Composer and violinist Charles Philippe Lafont

Charles Philippe Lafont

Charles Philippe Lafont was a French violinist and composer.-Biography:Born in Paris, he received his first lessons from his mother. He later studied with Rodolphe Kreutzer and Pierre Rode....

 owned the violin. On his death, the violin was acquired by luthier and expert Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. Vuillaume sold the violin to Johann Christoph Lauterbach.

Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 textile manufacturer Henryk Grohman

Henryk Grohman

Henryk Grohman was a Polish industrialist of German origin.-Biography:Born in Łódź, he was the son of Ludwik Grohman, who participated in the manufacturing of a cotton plant with his own father, Traugott Grohmann...

 acquired the violin some time after 1896. Upon his death in 1939, he bequeathed his entire art collection to the Polish state. The violin was exhibited in the National Museum of Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

. In 1944, it was allegedly stolen by a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 Major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Theodor Blank. Blank sent the violin to his wife in Germany, where it was possibly recovered in 1948 by U.S. military police. It was not returned to Poland.

The Violin now is in the hands of a Private collector and performer in New York City where he resides.