The FBI's Art Crime Team in Los Angeles has asked for the public's help on Friday with a cold case in which a 1710 Amati violin was stolen from a home in the Los Feliz area five years ago.
The wooden instrument was stolen from the residence on Dec. 8, 2020, according to the FBI who did not provide additional information about the location or a possible suspect.
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According to the Los Angeles Times, in an article published on Dec. 20, 2020, this is a 310-year-old violin that belongs to art dealer Rowland Weinstein, who owns the Weinstein Gallery in San Francisco, but splits his time living in San Francisco and in Los Angeles. Reportedly the violin was in his white Tesla, parked outside his Los Feliz home, when someone stole the vehicle and also the violin.
The rare and valuable instrument that was crafted by the Italian Amati family who are famed expert violin makers. These are extremely valuable instruments that have fetched anywhere from $500,000 to $917,000 at auction. The violin is believed to be from the Amati's ''golden period'' of violin making which was from 1700 -1720 and a definitive value in today's dollars would require an expert's appraisal.
Investigators described the instrument as having a back length of approximately 35.3 centimeters, upper bouts measuring about 16.8 centimeters, middle bouts at 11.2 centimeters, and lower bouts at 20.4 centimeters.
Anyone with information regarding the instrument was urged to contact the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office at 310-477-6565.
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