Photo: Tarisio / LATimes.com
Tesla is not what you would call a widely affordable vehicle, but this one is, right now, perhaps the most expensive in the world. An art dealer’s Tesla was stolen with an 18th-century violin inside.
Rowland Weinstein is an art dealer who splits his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Earlier this month, he took a prized 1710 violin by Hieronymus Amati II, one of the most important violin makers in the musical instrument history, out of storage, thinking he would personally take it to another, more secure storage facility.
Weinstein had acquired the 310-year-old instrument in London in 2013, for a little over $500,000, but its real value today is estimated at somewhere between $700,000 and $900,000. He drove his white Tesla up to his Los Feliz home and went inside for a while, unaware that his car key had slipped out of his pocket, behind the driver’s seat.
He got out of the car, which remained unlocked with the violin inside, and went into his home. He returned just minutes later, to find both car and violin missing, he tells the Los Angeles Times.
The LAPD and the FBI are working on the case, and they’re choosing to stay optimistic on the chances of recovery of the valuable musical instrument. They’re yet to determine whether the thief targeted the Tesla or the violin, but they believe this was a spur-of-the-moment type of crime. That is to say, they believe a car thief was in the area and jumped at the chance to drive off in a Tesla.
Since there’s both a national and international database of stolen cultural objects and given the media attention this particular incident is getting, investigators also believe both car and violin could still be in the Los Angeles area. Moreover, moving such an important and valuable piece of musical equipment could prove difficult.
Weinstein is not a musician, but he would often allow musician friends to play the 1710 Amati at private gatherings. As such, he feels the loss as something extremely personal – it’s also a very costly one, but at least the violin was insured.
“I’m responsible for a piece of history, and that piece of history got away from me,” Weinstein tells the media outlet. “It’s so fragile. My biggest fear is that someone who doesn’t know what they have will put it in the wrong environment and it will get damaged or destroyed.”
The art dealer is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can offer information to the FBI.
Weinstein had acquired the 310-year-old instrument in London in 2013, for a little over $500,000, but its real value today is estimated at somewhere between $700,000 and $900,000. He drove his white Tesla up to his Los Feliz home and went inside for a while, unaware that his car key had slipped out of his pocket, behind the driver’s seat.
He got out of the car, which remained unlocked with the violin inside, and went into his home. He returned just minutes later, to find both car and violin missing, he tells the Los Angeles Times.
The LAPD and the FBI are working on the case, and they’re choosing to stay optimistic on the chances of recovery of the valuable musical instrument. They’re yet to determine whether the thief targeted the Tesla or the violin, but they believe this was a spur-of-the-moment type of crime. That is to say, they believe a car thief was in the area and jumped at the chance to drive off in a Tesla.
Since there’s both a national and international database of stolen cultural objects and given the media attention this particular incident is getting, investigators also believe both car and violin could still be in the Los Angeles area. Moreover, moving such an important and valuable piece of musical equipment could prove difficult.
Weinstein is not a musician, but he would often allow musician friends to play the 1710 Amati at private gatherings. As such, he feels the loss as something extremely personal – it’s also a very costly one, but at least the violin was insured.
“I’m responsible for a piece of history, and that piece of history got away from me,” Weinstein tells the media outlet. “It’s so fragile. My biggest fear is that someone who doesn’t know what they have will put it in the wrong environment and it will get damaged or destroyed.”
The art dealer is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who can offer information to the FBI.
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