$3.5 million paid for 1707 violin

A Stradivari violin known as “the Hammer” fetched a record $3.5 million from an anonymous buyer at a New York auction this week, Christie’s International said.

The price for the violin was almost 1.8 times more than the previous record for a musical instrument, set last year.

The 1707 violin made by Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy, was named after a 19th century Swedish collector, Christian Hammer.

Until recently, “the Hammer” was on loan to New York-based soloist Kyoko Takezawa, who often used it in her performances, Christie’s said.