Tarisio is the world's largest seller of fine stringed instruments and bows. Founded in 1999 as an auction house that specializes in string instruments and bows, Tarisio now has locations in New York, London and Berlin and serves a global clientele.
Tarisio is the world's largest seller of fine stringed instruments and bows. Founded in 1999 as an auction house that specializes in string instruments and bows, Tarisio now has locations in New York, London and Berlin and serves a global clientele.
Tarisio's New York offices and gallery are at 244–250 W 54th Street, in the former workshop of the prominent French violin dealer and restorer Jacques Français. [1] Français was joined in 1964 by the luthier René A. Morel, also a Frenchman, who later opened his own shop in the same space. [2] Morel continued to work in collaboration with Tarisio until the summer of 2011, offering soundpost adjustments and other expert services. After Morel's retirement, he was succeeded at Tarisio by his colleague the luthier Stefan Valcuha, who restores lutes as well as taking care of their general maintenance.
The London offices and showroom of Tarisio Europe are located at 86-87 Wimpole Street, just around the corner from the Wigmore Hall.
The Berlin offices are on Kurfürstendamm at the corner of Fasanenstrasse.
Founded in 1999 by partners Christopher Reuning, Dmitry Gindin, and Jason Price, Tarisio was the world's first auction house to specialize in fine string instruments and bows. [3] [ citation needed ] The firm held its first online auction in November 1999 and by October of that year British string magazine The Strad declared it a "major player" in the string instrument auction world, suggesting that "Sotheby's now regards Tarisio as its principal rival." [4] According to The Red Book catalogue of auction results, the company set over 400 international auction records in its first 10 years of business. [5]
In May 2003 the firm auctioned the private collection of acclaimed violinist Isaac Stern, which grossed $2.3 million, at the time the second-highest total for a violin auction. [6] In July 2006 the firm announced its expansion with the addition of a London office to increase its presence in the European market. [7] Jason Price became the sole owner of the firm in January 2010. [8] [ citation needed ] In June 2010 Tarisio auctioned the contents of the historic Philadelphia violin firm of William Moennig & Son. The sale, which included over 600 lots of instruments, bows, and historical photographs, sold 100 percent of lots. [9] [ citation needed ] The October 2010 auction, which included the 1697 Molitor Stradivarius, was, at the time, the highest-grossing violin auction in history, with over $9 million in sales. [10]
In September 2012 the company announced its acquisition of Cozio, the world's largest online archive of musical instruments. [11] The Cozio archive includes photographs, price histories, and provenance for over 50,000 instruments and bows, including results from auction houses worldwide. The site will continue to operate independently from Tarisio.
Tarisio introduced two features to reduce buyer's premiums and encourage early bidding. The first, implemented in October 2013, is First In, Last Out, in which someone who bids both first and last on a lot pays a reduced buyer’s premium of 18% up to and including $200,000 (£100,000) and 13% thereafter. The other is Buy Now, introduced in October 2014, which lets buyers purchase select lots instantaneously at a fixed price in advance of the bidding, and reduces premiums to 18% and 13% respectively, introduced in . [12]
The following is a list of notable instruments and bows sold by Tarisio. All prices are in $US and include the buyer's premium.