There is a certain paradox to the greatest violins. No matter how uniform the testimony of their players and audiences, a skeptic might question their supremacy. After all, these instruments have been played, for centuries now, by the most gifted violinists in the world — the ones who can coax, from any instrument, the most varied colors and tones.

A violin made by the famed Antonio Stradivari in 1714 has the potential to become the most expensive musical instrument ever sold when it goes up for auction Friday at Sotheby's in New York.

A Stradivarius violin made in 1714 was sold for $11.25 million by the Sotheby’s auction house Friday, establishing a scholarship fund at the New England Conservatory of Music.