One of the world’s rarest stringed instruments—the 1690 “Tuscan-Medici” Stradivari viola—has officially joined the collection of the U.S. Library of Congress (LoC), thanks to a record-setting $30 million acquisition made possible by the combined generosity of philanthropists David and Amy Fulton and the family of the late Cameron Baird.
Only about ten complete violas crafted by legendary Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari survive today. This particular instrument, a contralto model, was originally commissioned in 1690 for Ferdinando de’ Medici, Grand Prince of Tuscany, as part of a quintet of instruments gifted by Cremonese nobleman Bartolomeo Ariberti. It’s now been renamed the “Fulton, ex Baird, Tuscan-Medici” and is valued as a cultural treasure, both for its rarity and historic lineage.
The instrument had been on loan to the Library since 1977 through the Baird family’s Tuscan Corporation. With this gift, that nearly five-decade-long loan has become a permanent legacy. Of the total $30 million value, $20 million came as a direct donation from the David and Amy Fulton Foundation, while the Baird family contributed the remaining $10 million in-kind.
“This is an extraordinary gift to the Library and to the nation,” said Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress. “We will continue to embrace the spirit of sharing this remarkable instrument with America and the world.”
The viola joins five other Stradivari instruments in the Library’s collection, originally donated in 1935 by Gertrude Clarke Whittall, and intended to be used—not locked away. In that same spirit, the “Tuscan-Medici” will feature in future public performances, including in the Library’s 2025–26 concert season.
A gift born of legacy and passion
Cameron Baird, a music educator and founder of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, purchased the viola in 1957. A dedicated violist and pianist, Baird briefly loaned the instrument to Boris Kroyt of the Budapest Quartet—frequent performers at the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium—before his death in 1960. His wife, Jane Baird, formally loaned the instrument to the Library in 1977, where it has remained since.
David Fulton, one of the 20th century’s most renowned collectors of fine Italian instruments, once sought to build a complete Stradivari quartet. While he never succeeded in acquiring a Stradivari viola during his collecting years, he finally obtained one—then gifted it to the nation instead of keeping it for himself.
“Because they take care of their instruments, they let great musicians play them, and they permit experts to study them,” said Fulton of the LoC. “This is the capstone of my collection—it’s a treasure of humanity and shouldn’t be hidden away.”
The Medici legacy, reawakened
Stradivari developed two entirely new viola models to complete the original 1690 Medici commission: a tenore and a contralto. The contralto model—now housed at the Library—became his standard for the next 45 years. The instrument features a fine-grained spruce top, two-piece maple back, and a warm orange–light brown varnish. It still bears its original label and was showcased in The Strad magazine in October 1992.
After its commission, the quintet was broken up in the mid-18th century. The contralto eventually made its way to England, passing through several hands—including that of American department store heir Herbert Straus—before being acquired by Baird. In 1913, expert Alfred Hill opened the viola for inspection and inscribed inside: “The ‘Medici’ Stradivari, A. H., June 1913.”
The viola made history again in 2015 when violist Roberto Díaz premiered a concerto composed specifically for it by Jennifer Higdon. That piece went on to win two Grammy Awards in 2018.
With the “Tuscan-Medici” now secured for future generations, only one Stradivari viola remains in private circulation: the 1719 “MacDonald.” As Fulton remarked, “It’s a pretty good trick to morph a uniquely fine Stradivari violin into a uniquely fine Stradivari viola, one dedicated to the nation’s benefit.”