'Shabby' violin once owned by Albert Einstein fetches £860k at Cirencester auction

A violin which once belonged to Albert Einstein has sold for £860,000 at an auction house in Cirencester.

It is believed to be the first violin he ever bought for himself, after he started playing the instrument aged five or six.

Einstein is known for having played the violin almost every day of his life and said he would have been a musician had he not dedicated his life to science.

The violin is dated 1894 and it is thought he bought it that year. He would have been 15 years old at the time.

Dominic Winter Auctioneers had listed the violin as having an estimated price of £200,000-300,000.

In the auctioneer's catalogue, the instrument was described as being in "good, although shabby" condition with damage caused by "ordinary playing".

Chris Albury, senior auctioneer at Dominic Winter Auctioneers, called it "a particularly precious and exciting item".

He said: "When it arrived for analysis and valuation the violin's sound post and bridge were both detached and it had not been played for a very long time.

"This was easily rectified professionally and a short performance with it can be heard on our website."

The instrument was gifted by Einstein to Max von Laue, a German physicist, in 1932. He then passed it on to Mrs Margarete Hommrich of Braunschweig, an Einstein fan, 20 years later.

It was proudly displayed in her house and passed down her family. It has now been sold by her great-great-granddaughter.

It went for just less than the violin played as the Titanic sunk which was sold for £900,000 at a Wiltshire auction house in 2013.

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