What a sour note
Pupil sues top musician over sale of 18th century violin valued at £80,000
WHeN gifted violinist Ruzica West found herself desperate for cash, her ex-tutor agreed to buy her £80,000 18th century instrument for a knock-down price.
But the £40,000 deal has hit a sour note after Miss West claimed Professor Mateja Marinkovic – one of the world’s leading classical musicians – failed to pay in full.
she alleges that on top of £26,000 in cash, a French violin he handed over as collateral was worth only a fraction of what he claimed.
Miss West’s side of the dispute was heard at Central London County Court yesterday, where she and her mother, olgica, are demanding £12,500.
The 36-year- old, who is now a singer, violinist and teacher, had studied under the professor in 1997 at the Purcell school for music in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
But she fell on hard times in 2016 and offered to sell her violin, which had been made by Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi. The Italian craftsman lived from 1714 to 1787 and, alongside stradivarius, is considered to be one of history’s finest stringed instrument makers.
The violin, which was bought for Miss West by her grandmother, was valued at £80,000 but she dropped the price for a quick sale.
outside court Miss West, of Ilford, essex, said: ‘Three years ago I decided to sell it to Mateja. He told me it was a very good violin and he wanted to help me.
‘I was desperate and needed the money. I had to accept his offer because if I had taken it to an auctioneer I would have waited for a long time for it to be resold. Mateja was offering some of the money straight away.’
Prof Marinkovic, who has performed around the world, including as a soloist at the Royal Albert Hall, insists he honoured his side of the deal for the Landolfi violin. He did not attend the hearing as he has relocated to China where he is now working at a college in Guangdong province.
During the hearing, Miss West’s mother olgica, 61, told Judge Ian Avent that Prof Marinkovic had told them the 19th century French violin he gave them to make the deal up to £40,000 was worth ‘£12,000 to £14,000’. However, she said that a professional valuation in November 2017 put it at just £1,500. Miss West claims she has never had possession of the French violin, which is held at an auction house, as she was waiting for the remaining sum to be paid in cash. They are also bringing a claim against the valuer who told the professor his violin was worth up to £14,000. Neither Prof Marinkovic nor his representatives were in court for the brief pre-trial hearing. Judge Avent told Miss West and her mother: ‘I don’t need to remind you that you should have got all the money before you parted company with your Landolfi.’
The case will return to court on a date yet to be set.