Magnificently special: Philippe Quint’s 1708 ‘Ruby’ Stradivari violin

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This is an excerpt from The Strad May 2025 feature, ’Philippe Quint: a time of change’. Read the full article here

The 1708 ‘Ruby’ Stradivari violin has been on loan to Philippe Quint from the Stradivari Society since 2009. ‘The first time I heard this instrument was when it was played by Vadim Repin in Carnegie Hall,’ says Quint. ‘I was in the very last row in the top tier and remember thinking, “I wish one day I could have something remotely close to a sound like this.” So imagine my shock and utter delight when I was told that I’d be playing on it! And it’s been a love story ever since.’

The violin is named for its ruby-tinted varnish. It is well preserved, particularly its back, which is also one of the rare slab-cut backs seen on Stradivari instruments made after 1700. It is said that in 1905, Spanish virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate admired the violin and left a comment about it on his calling card.

‘It has something magnificently special in its sound, especially the depth of the lower strings,’ says Quint. ‘I’ve always favoured violins that have a bit of this hybrid “Del Gesù”–Strad sound. There’s a bigger variety of colours. This is the most extraordinary Strad I’ve played on.’

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