FBI continues searching for rare and valuable violin stolen from Los Feliz home

FBI searching for stolen 1700s violin

The FBI is still searching for a rare 1700s violin that was stolen from a Los Feliz art dealer more than five years ago.

LOS ANGELES - The FBI's Art Crime Team in Los Angeles has asked for the public's help today with a cold case in which a 1710 Amati violin was stolen from a home in the Los Feliz area five years ago.

The backstory:

The wooden instrument was stolen from the residence on Dec. 8, 2020, according to the FBI who did not provide additional information about the location or a possible suspect.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in an article published on Dec. 20, 2020, this is a 310-year-old violin that belongs to art dealer Rowland Weinstein, who owns the Weinstein Gallery in San Francisco. 

The violin was reportedly in his white Tesla, parked outside his Los Feliz home, when someone stole the vehicle and the violin.

Dig deeper:

The rare and valuable instrument was crafted by the Italian Amati family, who are famed expert violin makers. Their instruments have sold at auctions for $500,000 to $917,000.

The violin is believed to be from the Amati's "golden period'' of violin making, which was from 1700 to 1720. A definitive value in today's dollars would require an expert's appraisal.

Investigators described the instrument as having a back length of approximately 35.3 centimeters, upper bouts measuring about 16.8 centimeters, middle bouts at 11.2 centimeters, and lower bouts at 20.4 centimeters.

Anyone with information regarding the instrument is urged to contact the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office at 310-477-6565.