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300-Year-Old Stradivarius Stolen by Nazis Likely Found in France
The report centers on a 1719 Stradivarius, once stolen from Warsaw in 1944, that Pascale Bernheim suspects may have resurfaced in Colmar, France. The timeline spans Nazi theft, Cold War dispersion, later investigations, and market context around Stradivarius auction records, with ongoing questions about provenance.
Why It Matters
The case highlights issues of looted cultural property, provenance research, and international efforts to verify ownership of historic musical instruments tied to wartime crimes.
Timeline
12 Events
Article publication date
April 26, 2026
The article detailing the timeline and claims was published on April 26, 2026 ( syndicated feed from NDTV ).
Jaeger disputes Bernheim's claim in Alsace newspaper
April 23, 2026
Emmanuel Jaeger told the Alsace newspaper on Thursday that Bernheim’s claim is incorrect, suggesting the Colmar-contained instrument was another 1719 Stradivarius.
Wine and music evening in Colmar
March 31, 2026
A wine-and-music evening featuring violins in Colmar was organized by Emmanuel Jaeger on March 31.
Auction context: Joachim-Ma Stradivarius record
February 2026
A rare Stradivarius violin known as the Joachim-Ma Stradivarius fetched $11.3 million at a New York auction in February.
Dendrochronological analysis conducted
2025
Dendrochronological analysis was undertaken to determine the age of the violin's wood as part of the provenance work.
Bernheim begins provenance research
2025
Pascale Bernheim started digging to trace the instrument's origin and identified links to Henryk Grohman and descendants in Austria and Argentina.
Beare examines violin prior to death
2025
British luthier Charles Beare examined the instrument before his death in 2025 and warned it could be a Stradivarius from the golden period.
Contact to trace origin: Graff violin discussed in 2017
2017
Concert producer Emmanuel Jaeger contacted Pascale Bernheim in 2017 to trace the origin of a violin owned by Strasbourg luthier Jean-Christophe Graff.
Last seen in France in the early 1990s
1990
The violin was last seen in France in the early 1990s, per the report.
Postwar dispersion: instrument reportedly in East Germany during the Cold War
1949
The instrument reportedly survived years in East Germany during the Cold War.
1944: Nazi theft from Warsaw museum
1944
Nazi soldiers stole the Stradivarius violin from a museum in Warsaw in 1944, according to Le Parisien.
Ownership by Henryk Grohman before World War II
1939
Polish industrialist Henryk Grohman owned the instrument before World War II, and it was later handed to the Polish museum before his death.