(FOX NEWS) – A Stradivarius violin made at the "pinnacle" of
Antonio Stradivari’s career sold at auction for an eye-popping
price this week.

The musical instrument, crafted in 1714 by Stradivari, the luthier
most famously associated with the violin, sold for $11.3 million
at a Sotheby’s auction in New York Friday.

The violin, known as the "Joachim-Ma Stradivarius," was made
during Stradivari’s "golden period" when he was at the height
of his acoustic mastery of the instrument.  

Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 1737)

It is estimated that Stradivari produced 1,116 instruments, of which
960 were violins.

Funds raised from the auction will benefit a Boston-based music conservatory’s student scholarship fund.