Despite being surprised by its value, a participant of ‘Antiques Roadshow’ claims he doesn’t intend to sell the classic viola he’s had since school days.
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A participant of the show ‘Antiques Roadshow’ was truly surprised by the value of the classic viola he brought in for appraisal but asserted he has no intention of selling the instrument he’s had since his school days.
During an episode of the popular BBC series, the guest explained to expert Claire Givens that the viola had been with him for a long time: “I was taking lessons when I was a high school student.”
Givens was shocked by the condition of the classic viola by Ansaldo Poggi, considered by most violinists as the greatest violin maker of the 20th century. “My parents talked to my music teacher, who had been in Italy, and he mentioned a place in Bologna, possibly knew Poggi, the maker, the creator of this,” explained the instrument’s owner.
“And luckily, my grandfather, on a trip to Italy, made a detour to Bologna to meet the maker.” The expert was surprised to hear that the grandfather had paid $600 for the viola and added that it was “almost unprecedented” to obtain an instrument directly from its maker.
Givens then explained that Poggi was a great admirer of Stradivari and had studied under Giuseppe Fiorini, another renowned violin maker. “It was Fiorini who bought tools and what was left of Stradivari’s workshop and handed them over to the city of the famous luthier, which was Cremona in Italy.”
About Poggi, the expert emphasized his pursuit of precision: “Poggi is known for being a very, very precise maker. He was fanatical about the accuracy of his craftsmanship and obsessed with choosing only beautiful woods.”
“He is known to have made at least 388 instruments over a 60-year career, but only 41 violas. Continuing her explanation, Givens revealed: “I talked to some of my colleagues about the market.” They said that in the USA, a viola by Poggi could probably be sold for around $200,000.”
The guest laughed disbelievingly at the appraisal, and the expert added: “on the Asian market and the European market, the value of the classic viola by Ansaldo Poggi, in this condition, would be around $300,000.”
Despite the astronomical price, the participant asserted he has no intention of selling his instrument, which he has had since adolescence: “Okay. Well, I don’t intend to sell it, you know.”
This content was created with the help of AI.