Anne-Marie v. Stürler purchased the violin from Henry Werro in Bern in the fall of 1962 for CHF 20,000. Werro also gave her an appraisal in which he mentioned the easy interchangeability of the labels and the difficulty in distinguishing originals from good copies.

The violin bears a label from 1780 and was therefore made by Nicolò Gagliano in Naples. Nicolò (ca. 1710/1715-1787) belonged to one of the most famous violin-making families in Italy, who made violins, cellos and double basses from the early 18th century until the 20th century.