PARIS.- Fewer than 150 violins by Guarneri del Gesù are known today, each possessing its own distinctive character. Even more than his contemporary Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù is celebrated for the expressive power and dramatic intensity of his instruments. For nearly three centuries, the world’s greatest virtuosos - from Paganini to Jascha Heifetz, Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, and Itzhak Perlman - have chosen them for their exceptional resonance and emotional depth.
Admired both for their rarity and their radiant tone, these violins embody the very essence of artistic mastery - timeless witnesses to Cremona’s genius and to the unmatched golden age of violin making.
“This del Gesù was the faithful companion of my life,” wrote Eugène Ysaÿe in red ink on a label he affixed inside his violin in 1928. Years later, Isaac Stern, who inherited the instrument, added: “Mine too.”
This intimate exchange perfectly illustrates the profound bond between the world’s greatest performers and these extraordinary violins — symbiotic companions whose appearance on the market remains a truly remarkable event.
The rare violin presented by Artcurial stands out for its rich and complex tonal palette, capable of extraordinary projection without ever sacrificing subtlety. Its deep, resonant lower register merges seamlessly with luminous, penetrating highs, offering the performer an almost limitless expressive range — from the most delicate intimacy to the grandeur of the concert hall.
This auction promises to be a landmark occasion for musicians, patrons, collectors, and international institutions, all eager to engage with the pinnacle of instrumental craftsmanship.
“Each appearance of a Guarneri del Gesù violin on the market is a global event. Their rarity, mystery, and incomparable tone continue to fascinate collectors and musicians alike. Presenting such a masterpiece at auction in Paris is an exceptional privilege.”
Stéphane Aubert, Vice-President, Artcurial.
Gazing upon and listening to a Guarneri del Gesù is to hear the voice of the most illustrious violinists – Paganini, Ysaÿe, Heifetz, Stern… It is to be captivated by the irresistible charm of this spellbinding instrument. It is to step into History.”
Jonathan Marolle, Maison Vatelot-Rampal, Violin Making Expert.
When Giuseppe Guarneri, known as del Gesù, passed away in Cremona in 1744, nothing could have foretold that his violins would, two centuries later, become the most coveted instruments in the world. The great Cremonese tradition, initiated by the Amati family in the 16th century and perfected by Antonio Stradivari in the 17th and 18th centuries, found its most distinctive and powerful expression in the work of Guarneri del Gesù.
His approach — spontaneous, daring, and sometimes deemed, wrongly, irregular or overly free — stood in stark contrast to Stradivari’s harmonious perfection. Yet it was precisely this freedom that forged his legend. His powerful arching, elongated f-holes, thick plates, and dark, luminous varnish gave rise to a distinctive voice: dense, fiery, almost wild, capable of filling the largest concert halls.
Fate decreed that Niccolò Paganini - the quintessential virtuoso - would unveil this extraordinary force to the world. His famed Cannone of 1743 became a true extension of his own voice: blazing, theatrical, and inexhaustible. From that moment, the name Guarneri del Gesù became inseparable from that of the most mesmerizing violinist of his era.
Throughout the 19th century - and especially during the 20th - the world’s greatest musicians, including Heifetz, Menuhin, Stern, Zukerman, and Perlman, sought this singular sound: darker, more dramatic, and profoundly expressive, surpassing even that of Stradivari.
The exceptional Guarneri del Gesù violin offered by Artcurial on December 16th, 2025, is not only a masterpiece of Cremonese violin making but also a rare opportunity to engage with the illustrious lineage of virtuosos who have shaped its enduring legend.
A scientist, entrepreneur, patron of the arts, and devoted music lover, Philippe Dennery dedicated his life to assembling a collection of objects chosen with exceptional taste and sensitivity. A passionate amateur violinist, he once played a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini before discovering, in the Guarneri del Gesù presented today by Artcurial, the instrument of a lifetime.
While his father joined General de Gaulle as early as June 1940, Philippe Dennery emigrated to the United States - a country to which he remained deeply attached. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1954 and holder of a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Columbia University in 1958, he began his research career at the University of Pennsylvania before joining CERN in Geneva.
An advisor to the French government, he later took over the family furniture and decoration business, Société Dennery, which he expanded internationally, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, before selling it in 1999. Simultaneously, Philippe Dennery acquired several companies, including the renowned stationery and engraving firm Cassegrain.
A man of conviction, he founded in 1989 the Prix Novembre - a literary alternative to the Goncourt Prize - which, for nearly a decade, honored authors such as Jean Echenoz, Régis Debray, and Lydie Salvayre. Faithful to his transatlantic ties, he served for more than thirty years on the board of the Fondation Franco-Américaine, the French counterpart of the French-American Foundation in New York, dedicated to fostering mutual understanding between the two nations.
