Duport Stradivarius
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The Duport Strad, or Stradivarius, is a cello built in 1711 by Antonio Stradivari.
The instrument is named for Jean-Pierre Duport, who played it around 1800.
In 1812, Duport permitted Napoleon to handle it; a dent, still visible on the instrument, is said to have resulted from the emperor's incompetent handling of it, straddling it with his boots.
Auguste-Joseph Franchomme set a price record by purchasing it for 22,000 francs in 1843 from Duport's son.
The great 19th-century instrument maker Jean Baptiste Vuillaume used the Duport Strad as the primary model for the approximately three thousand celli that he built.
Duport Strad is one of the most valuable Strads left in existence. It has been owned and played since 1974 by Mstislav Rostropovich.
