A nearly 300-year-old fiddle once owned by Lord Byron's granddaughter sold for $16 million at an auction toraise money for disaster relief in Japan.
The price was more than four times the previous record for a Stradivarius. It was put up for sale by the Nippon Music Foundation, which owns some of the world's finest Stradivari and Guarneri instruments, according to the BBC.
"While this violin was very important to our collection, the needs of our fellow Japanese people after the March 11th tragedy have proven that we all need to help, in any way we can," said Foundation president Kazuko Shiomi. "The donation will be put to immediate use on the ground in Japan."
The violin is one of 600 made by Italian Antonio Stradivari still in existence.
