Possible Stradivarius Violin Seized at the Ukrainian Border

The instrument bears a label stating it was made by Stradivarius in 1713, but has yet to be authenticated

A violin thought to have been made by Antonio Stradivari has been seized by Ukrainian customs officials. The instrument was discovered in the boot of a car by guards from the Porubne checkpoint, which borders Romania on Tuesday, July 9.

Though the identity of the instrument has not yet been confirmed, its label reads "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1713." The border guards opted to send it away for identification. The driver of the car lives in the nearby town of Chernivtsi and was born in 1976.

Stradivarius made several notable violins in the year 1713, including the "Wirth," the "Gibson, Huberman," and a red violin, the much-admired "Boissier, Sarasate."

In the last year, there have been two other occasions on which Strads have been seized in Ukraine. In May 2024, an alleged Stradivari — also from 1713 — was discovered in the trunk of a car en route to Poland. And in July 2023, a violin with a 1730 label was located in the Odessa region.

This is a developing story.