Credit: Joël Heinzelmann/Mendelssohn-Bohnke Papers
A rare Stradivarius violin, crafted in 1709 and missing since the end of World War II, may have been located in Japan. Known as the “Petit Mendelssohn”, the instrument originally belonged to the prominent Mendelssohn-Bohnke family and was stored in a safe in Berlin during the war. Amid the chaos of the Nazi regime's collapse and the Soviet occupation in 1945, the violin was looted and vanished — until now.
The rediscovery began in 2018, when images from an exhibition in Tokyo featuring a violin named “Stella” caught the attention of researcher Carla Shapreau. She noticed striking similarities between the Japanese instrument and historical records of the missing Stradivarius, including matching wood patterns, markings, and structure.
Credit: Carla Shapreau
The violin is currently in the possession of Japanese violinist Eijin Nimura. Through his lawyer, Nimura stated he had legally acquired the instrument without any knowledge of its possible wartime origins, claiming to be a good-faith buyer.
The news triggered a strong emotional response from the descendants of the original owners. David Rosenthal, grandson of Franz von Mendelssohn, described the moment as one of “total disbelief and shock” upon realizing that a family treasure had been “hidden in plain sight” for decades.
The case reopens complex discussions about the restitution of cultural property looted during the war. Experts note that while no formal accusations have been made against Nimura, the identification of the violin’s origins could spark legal proceedings and negotiations between the Mendelssohn heirs and the current owner.
