Nazi-Looted $10 Million Stradivarius Violin Surfaces in France
An expert on looted musical instruments believes a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin, stolen by the Nazis in 1944 from Warsaw, may have resurfaced in France. The instrument, known as the “Lauterbach,” was last seen in France in the early 1990s. This suspicion arose after a concert in Colmar where a violinist played a Stradivarius from the maker’s “golden period” of 1719. While the concert organizer disputes the identification, the expert remains convinced due to the specific characteristics of the violin and its historical provenance.
John Q. Hosedrinker