8th Oct, 2025 10:00
Photographs & Autographs, Historical Documents & Artefacts, Einstein's Violin & Bicycle Saddle
Einstein’s Violin. A German violin formerly belonging to Albert Einstein, late 19th century
Sold for £860,000
Einstein’s Violin. A German violin formerly belonging to Albert Einstein, late 19th century, labelled ‘Anton Zunterer, München 1894’, the two-piece back of quarter-cut maple with narrow curl descending slightly from the joint, the word ‘Lina’ carved [by Albert Einstein] to back plate, the ribs of broader figure, the head of fainter narrow curl, the table, in two matched pieces, of narrow grain in the centre opening out to medium grain on the flanks, the varnish of a golden brown colour, red-brown in the upper back, length of back 362 mm, with widths of 166 mm, 114 mm and 209 mm (all measurements stretched over arching); together with a contemporary nickel-mounted German bow, probably with later lapping, both housed in a modern black foam violin case with zip and carrying handle
(Quantity: 2)
This lot is not available for internet bidding. Please contact the auction office to register your interest and for further information about bidding by commission, phone or in person.
Condition statement:
The violin is in fundamentally good, although shabby, condition, with no evidence of neck-block trauma or cracks in either the table or the back. An internal camera shows no stud repairs. The linings and blocks seem secure. The edges are also good. However, there is the typical, superficial damage to the varnish caused by ordinary playing, and perhaps by the original case, which would probably have been of leather. The wear parallel to the treble side of the fingerboard is a characteristic caused by of a type of leather case where the bow is stored along the front of the violin here. There are some small insignificant scratches, which now show as darker lines, and some areas where the varnish has rubbed away. The strings are modern and the bow is not in usable condition.
The size of the instrument is a little unusual. It is not particularly wide, but it is long: about 5 mm longer than normal. The string length, meaning the bit that is played, between the top nut and the bridge, is correspondingly long too. This presents little problem for players with big hands, although there is varnish-wear under the feet of the bridge showing that various bridge positions have been tried. (A famous photograph of Einstein's hands from 1929 does suggest that they were big enough to cope with this. It appears that Einstein's fingers on his left hand were substantially longer than those on his right, which reinforces that conclusion.)
At present the bridge would be considered rather far up the table (making it a little easier to play) but slightly incorrectly sited with regard to the internal sound-post. The chin-rest is inexpensive and typical of the late 19th/early 20th century. There is no visible varnish-wear under it, so the violin was very likely fitted with it originally. There are no marks at all to indicate that a shoulder rest was ever used, and this is consistent with images of Einstein playing the violin: he seems to have done without, as was common before the War.
Provenance:
This exceptionally historic violin was gifted by Albert Einstein to Max von Laue at Einstein’s summer house at Caputh in Brandenburg on 29 November 1932. This was shortly before Einstein, fearful of ever-increasing antisemitism and the rising tide of Nazism fled Germany to live in USA, arriving in Los Angeles on 9 January 1933. On 30 January, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, Hitler being appointed Chancellor the same day. On 20 March, Einstein’s house in Caputh was searched by the Nazis on the pretext that a weapon arsenal of the Communist Party was hidden there. Einstein and his wife Elsa return to Europe, arriving in Antwerp on 28 March then, two months later, travelling to England, and arriving in Dover on 26 May. Over the summer they were to stay in various locations in England, including a safe house in Cromer, Norfolk, at a time when Hitler was offering a bounty on Einstein’s head. Albert and Elsa returned to the United States in October, Einstein making Princeton his new base. He never returned to Europe again.
Twenty years later, (and seven years after the end of the War), the violin was then gifted by Max von Laue to his acquaintance and Einstein fan, Mrs. Margarete Hommrich of Braunschweig, when she was invited to his Göttingen home in 1952. Laue told Mrs. Hommrich, (great-great-grandmother of the current owner), that these four items, (offered in three lots here: this violin, the Nelson bicycle saddle with order form, and the Descartes/Spinoza philosophy book), formerly belonged to Albert Einstein. He told Mrs Hommrich that Einstein had told him that this violin was the first violin that he had ever bought.
The violin, saddle and philosophy book were proudly displayed in a cabinet at Mrs. Hommrich’s home in Braunschweig. The incredible story surrounding these items was often recounted to family and friends, but the violin itself saw very little use over the following decades, there being no violinists in the family. These items were passed from Mrs. Hommrich to her granddaughter and thence to her great-granddaughter and great-great-granddaughter, the current and sole owner.
Max von Laue (1879-1960):
Laue was a German physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1914 ‘for his discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals’. In addition to his scientific endeavours, with contributions in optics, crystallography, quantum theory, superconductivity, and the theory of relativity, Laue had a number of administrative positions which advanced and guided German scientific research and development during four decades.
Laue first met Albert Einstein in 1907 when he visited him at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. A strong bond developed and this friendship contributed to the acceptance and development of Einstein's theory of relativity, following Einstein’s ground-breaking paper of 1905.
Laue opposed Nazism in general, and Deutsche Physik in particular; the former persecuted the Jews, and the latter, among other things, put down the theory of relativity as ‘Jewish physics’, which he saw as ridiculous: ‘science has no race or religion’. He and his close friend, Otto Hahn, secretly helped scientific colleagues persecuted by Nazi policies to emigrate from Germany. He also openly opposed antisemitism. Laue was instrumental in re-establishing and organizing German science after World War II.
A note on Einstein’s violins up to 1933:
Einstein’s mother apparently bought him a violin when he started playing (around the age of 5 or 6) - see Denis Brian, Einstein (New York, 1996), p. 2. This would have been a 1/4 size child’s violin. At 7 or 8 Einstein would have needed a 1/2 size child’s violin, then at 9 or 10 he would have needed a 3/4 size child’s violin. Einstein would have moved up to a full-size violin at about age 11. He was 11 in 1890 when he was still having regular lessons.
Maja, Einstein’s sister, recalls listening to her brother play duets with their mother when they were still living in Munich and Einstein was at the gymnasium – he was presumably playing a full-size violin. His violin was a ‘near-permanent attachment’ – see Brian, p. 6. The Einstein family moved to Italy in the summer of 1894, leaving Albert behind to lodge in a boarding house and continue his schooling in Munich. He left to join his family in Italy at Christmas 1894 and then went to Aarau in Switzerland to continue his schooling. It is quite possible that Einstein’s parents ordered and paid for this violin before they left, or left money for him to buy a violin.
It is clear that Einstein was highly active musically in Aarau and must have had his own violin. He lodged there with the Winteler family and played duets with the daughter, Marie, his first love – see Brian, p. 7. Marie called Einstein’s violin his ‘dear child’ (p. 11).
Einstein celebrated the Royal Society’s meeting on 6 November 1919, (about the Solar Eclipse that confirmed his predictions), by ‘buying a new violin’ – see Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (London, 2007), pp. 261-62; the source of this information is a letter that he wrote to Paul Ehrenfest on 10 December 1919. Einstein, in fact, bought two violins from a Berlin maker for 2,000 marks each; one of them being for Ehrenfest’s daughter. The violins were still in the process of being made when he handed over the money, and he seems to have received them in February 1920. There is a lengthy correspondence about Einstein’s attempts to get the violin for Ehrenfest’s daughter to Ehrenfest in Leiden. It was impounded by Belgian customs at one point, but his wife Elsa managed to intervene and retrieve it. Ehrenfest asked Einstein to sign this inside and inscribe it to his daughter (letter of 12 March 1920). In a letter of 26 March 1920 to his sons, Einstein mentions a ‘magnificent’ violin made by a ‘local maker’ that sounds ‘beautiful’ that he was playing.
Conclusion:
Einstein is believed to have had as many as ten violins in his lifetime, calling all of them Lina. Interestingly, the carving on the back of the violin, which is consistent with Einstein’s hand at the time, with the loopy 'L' and the accentuated rise before the ’n’. This violin, by oral tradition, is the first one that Einstein bought himself. There is extensive documentary evidence that he bought a new violin in Berlin in 1919, and this may have been the violin he took with him to the USA when he emigrated in 1933. It is thus entirely possible that he played on this violin from then until he bought the new Berlin one in 1919-1920, and that he then played on the Berlin violin as his main instrument from 1920. Shortly after Einstein arrived in the United States he was gifted the 1933 Oscar H. Steger handmade violin, which sold for $516,500 in New York in March 2018.
Einstein played the violin nearly every day of his life, and stated that he would have liked to have been a musician had he not been a scientist. He sensed a deep connection between science and music, using his violin playing to foster creativity, and to facilitate intuitive leaps in his scientific thought. He had a particular fondness for the music of Mozart and Bach. This violin would be the one that he had and used from his mid-teens into young adulthood, notably during the years of 1905 (his annus mirabilis) and 1915. Those were the years he published his revolutionary papers on special relativity and general relativity. No doubt Laue heard Einstein play this violin, not only when he visited him in Bern in 1907, but later, after Einstein returned to Germany in 1913.
We are grateful to Paul Wingfield, composer of the 2024 musical drama Einstein’s Violin, for sharing his knowledge of Einstein’s violin ownership with us; and to Andrew Hooker Violins for the condition assessment.
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The amount is calculated as follows:
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Buyer's Premium :
The buyer's premium is 22%, except those lots asterisked (*) in the title for which Value Added Tax (VAT) will be added to the premium, resulting in a buyer's premium of 26.4% inclusive of VAT. Eligible items include manuscripts, prints, photographs, drawings, framed maps, paintings, pens and other objects which are subject to VAT at a rate of 20% on the buyer's premium as part of the Auctioneers Margin Scheme. VAT zero-rated items such as books, unframed maps and albums are not subject to VAT on the buyer's premium.
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An additional commission of 3% plus VAT (3.6% inclusive of VAT) on the hammer price is payable if you use the live auction bidding facility on the Dominic Winter Auctioneers website (dominicwinter.co.uk). This charge will be added to your invoice automatically.
An additional commission of 4.95% plus VAT (5.94% inclusive of VAT) on the hammer price is payable if you use the live auction bidding facility on the ATG Media website (the-saleroom.com). This charge will be added to your invoice automatically.
An additional commission of 3% plus VAT (3.6% inclusive of VAT) on the hammer is payable if you use the live auction bidding facility on the Invaluable website (invaluable.com). This charge will be added to your invoice automatically.
Payment (UK Buyers)
Payment is preferred by direct Bank Transfer to our bank account. Our bank details will be supplied to you with your invoice.
Payment can be made in cash at the Cashier's Office, either during or after the sale. Alternatively, you can pay by cheque (Pounds Sterling only), please allow 5 working days for the cheque to clear before collection of goods.
Credit or Debit Card payments will not be accepted by telephone unless by prior arrangement with the auctioneers. Card payments can be made in person at our premises but must be accompanied by relevant ID confirming address details. We do not accept payments by American Express.
Payment (Overseas Buyers)
Payment must be made by direct Bank Transfer to our bank account. Our bank details will be supplied to you on your invoice. No card payments will be accepted unless by special prior arrangements with the auctioneers. All transfers must state the relevant invoice number. The amount we receive must be the total due after currency conversion and the deduction of any bank charges (normally £7).
In-House Packing and Shipping
For items that are straightforward* to pack & ship, we offer an in-house shipping service with DHL. For any larger or fragile items, we have provided our recommended third party shipping companies below.
*This is at the discretion of the company.
Your auction invoice will need to be settled in full before collection by a third party shipping company.
It is the responsibility of the customer to arrange and coordinate their own shipping, whether through our in-house service (where applicable) or via a third-party provider.
(Please note all shippers are third parties and not part of Dominic Winter Auctioneers)
Contacts:
Delivery of large items: furniture, pictures, works of art, antiques etc
Mailboxes Etc., Swindon
Tel: 01793 525009
E-mail: swindon@centres.mbe.uk
Website: www.mbe.co.uk
Pack and Send, Oxford
Tel: 01865 260610
E-Mail: oxford@packsend.co.uk
Website: www.packsend.co.uk
Simon Hall Freight
Tel: 01386 858555
E-mail: enquiries@simonhalllimited.com
Website: www.simonhalllimited.com
Alban Shipping
Tel: 01582 493099
E-mail: info@albanshipping.co.uk
Website: www.albanshipping.co.uk
Jentel Packing
Tel: 01268 776777
E-mail: sales@jentelpacking.co.uk
Website: www.jentelpacking.co.uk
Delivery of Works of Art
Aardvark Art Services
Tel: 01253 794673
E-mail: info@aardvarkartservices.com
Website: www.aardvarkartservices.com
The following items will need to be outsourced to a third party:
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Framed and glazed items (Packing departments discretion)
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Quantity lots
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Multi-framed job lots
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Oversized bundles of prints
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Moulded plaster frames
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Fragile items
Banned objects for packing and posting:
We do not ship the following under any circumstances:
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Firearms
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Swords
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Bladed item
UK Shipping
We partner with DHL Express for our UK delivery service. The cost for this service is added to your invoice. Purchases up to £500 are subject to a minimum charge of £30 plus VAT per parcel. Thereafter, an extra £5 plus VAT will be added for each additional £500 purchase value increment. There may be an additional charge if extra time/packing materials are required.
Once we have sent your purchase, you will receive a notification from DHL EXPRESS ON-DEMAND DELIVERY and email/SMS updates about your shipment's progress and estimated delivery date/time. You will be able to amend the time of your delivery if required.
Shipments to the Highlands and Islands may be significantly more expensive. Please contact us for a quote before bidding.
Overseas Shipping
We partner with DHL Express for overseas shipments. We are happy to provide packing and shipping quotes on request. We are able to offer pre-sale shipping quotes, however this will be an approximate price only.
Once we have sent your purchase, you will receive a notification from DHL EXPRESS ON-DEMAND DELIVERY and email/SMS updates about your shipment's progress and estimated delivery date/time. You will be able to amend the time of your delivery if required.
For items under the value of £250 we can send via Royal Mail International Signed-For Service (2kg maximum weight). Charges are variable.
PLEASE NOTE:
On arrival of the goods in your country, Import Duties & Taxes may be payable before goods are released to you. These charges vary for each country and are entirely your responsibility, we have no way of knowing what they will be. If you do not pay these charges, your goods will be returned to us.
Export Licences and CITES Permits
These documents may be required to ship some lots out of the UK. Your shipper (DHL Express or other) can advise and apply for these on your behalf. It is the buyer's responsibility to ensure that the shipment is lawfully exported out of the selling location and can be lawfully imported to the country of destination. We can assist with export licences only, if required, for a fee: please contact us for more details if you require assistance.
Sustainability
We reuse packaging and cardboard boxes where possible for all our shipments. When packing fragile items we use a 100% recyclable filler.
We proudly partner with DHL Express, utilising sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) via the GoGreen Plus service to deliver your orders. By investing in sustainable aviation fuel, we actively reduce the CO2e emissions associated with our shipments, minimising our carbon footprint. We believe it's our responsibility to do what's right for the planet, and we want to empower our customers to make a positive impact too. Together, let's embrace sustainable practices and contribute to a greener future.
SAF is currently the primary route to reducing carbon emissions in aviation, so this is the most effective way to help our customers make their orders more sustainable. Embracing SAF is not only essential for meeting sustainability goals but also paves the way towards a greener future in the air transportation industry.
For more information on DHL's GoGreen Plus option please visit:
https://group.dhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2023/dhl-express-and-world-energy-agree-to-global-partnership.html
