一把已有 316 年歷史的小提琴，曾為葉卡捷琳娜大帝擁有，現已成為 NFT

這把價值超過 900 萬美元的小提琴已被一家科技公司“代幣化”，以“釋放其價值”。

A 316-year-old Stradivarius violin, once owned by Catherine the Great, has been turned into an NFT (Non-Fungible Token) by tech company Galaxy Digital Holdings LP.

一把 316 年歷史的斯特拉迪瓦里小提琴，曾由葉卡捷琳娜大帝擁有，現已被科技公司 Galaxy Digital Holdings LP 轉變為 NFT（不可替代代幣）。

After being bought at auction for over $9 million last year by Hong Kong entrepreneur and investor Yat Siu, the violin itself and its NFT counterpart are now both being used as collateral for a multi million-dollar loan to Siu.

去年，香港企業家兼投資者Yat Siu 在拍賣會上以超過900 萬美元的價格購買了這把小提琴，而這把小提琴本身及其NFT 對應物現在都被用作向Siu 提供數百萬美元貸款的抵押品。

The tokenisation is the first of its kind, and will allow the instrument’s value to become more readily available. Galaxy Digital’s website states that the move “can enhance liquidity significantly”, and will ensure reliable record-keeping for the ownership of such a historic instrument.

代幣化是同類中的首創，將使該工具的價值更容易獲得。 Galaxy Digital 的網站稱，此舉“可顯著增強流動性”，並將確保這種歷史性工具的所有權記錄保持可靠。

Moreover, they say, “blockchain technology can merge the physical art world with the digital world, opening up new possibilities – from trading to lending, from asset management to fractional ownership of real world assets.”

此外，他們表示，“區塊鏈技術可以將實體藝術世界與數位世界融合起來，開闢新的可能性——從交易到借貸，從資產管理到現實世界資產的部分所有權。”

This means that, if Siu decides it, it could become possible for others to invest in a part of the violin, although no formal plans currently exist as such. The violin itself will be kept securely by a custodian, in Hong Kong.

這意味著，如果蕭決定這樣做，其他人就有可能投資購買小提琴的一部分，儘管目前還沒有正式的計劃。小提琴本身將由香港的保管人妥善保管。

Siu himself has a background in music. Born in Vienna in 1973, Siu’s mother was an orchestral conductor and his father a performing musician. He attended Vienna’s Music and Arts University (formerly the Conservatory of Vienna), where he studied cello, flute, and piano.

蕭先生本身就有音樂背景。蕭先生1973年出生於維也納，母親是一名管弦樂指揮，父親是一名表演音樂家。他就讀於維也納音樂藝術大學（前維也納音樂學院），學習大提琴、長笛和鋼琴。

He then went on to pursue a career in technology and computing, but today remains connected to the music world through his role on the advisory board of the BAFTAs and as a director of the Asian Youth Orchestra.

隨後，他繼續從事科技和電腦領域的職業，但如今，他透過擔任英國電影和電視藝術學院 (BAFTA) 顧問委員會成員以及亞洲青年交響樂團 (Asian Youth Orchestra) 的總監，與音樂界保持聯繫。

Siu said of his new venture: “As a technologist with a background in classical music, this is a very special moment for me. The 1708 Empress Caterina Stradivarius violin is the first instrument of such storied origin to undergo tokenization.

Siu 談到他的新事業時說：「作為一名具有古典音樂背景的技術專家，這對我來說是一個非常特別的時刻。 1708 年卡特琳娜女皇斯特拉迪瓦里 (Empress Caterina Stradivarius) 小提琴是第一把具有如此傳奇起源且經過標記化的樂器。

“I am thrilled to help trailblaze this new economic model for unique assets while at the same time preserving and sharing a precious piece of history.”

“我很高興能夠幫助開拓這種獨特資產的新經濟模式，同時保存和分享一段珍貴的歷史。”

Despite a strong musical background, Siu’s pales in comparison to that of the violin he has just tokenised. The ‘Empress Caterina’ was crafted by the Italian master luthier Antonio Stradivari during his ‘Golden Period’ in 1708.

儘管有著深厚的音樂背景，但蕭的演奏與他剛剛標記的小提琴相比還是相形見絀。 《卡特琳娜皇后》是由義大利製琴大師安東尼奧·斯特拉迪瓦里 (Antonio Stradivari) 在 1708 年的《黃金時期》製作的。

According to the 19th-century luthier Alfred Hill, of the prestigious W.E. Hill & Sons workshop, the violin can be traced back to the Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who left it to Catherine the Great – after whom it is now named.

根據著名的WE Hill & Sons 工作室的19 世紀制琴師阿爾弗雷德·希爾(Alfred Hill) 的說法，這把小提琴的歷史可以追溯到俄羅斯女皇伊麗莎白·彼得羅夫娜(Elizabeth Petrovna)，她將其留給了葉卡捷琳娜大帝(Catherine the Great)，現在以她的名字命名。

Since its ruling class roots, the violin has passed through the hands of Russian aristocrats, a collection of European violinists, a coffee impresario, radiologist, and a tropical fish expert, before finding itself in the Tarisio auction house, where it was bought by Siu.

自起源於統治階級以來，這把小提琴先後經過俄羅斯貴族、歐洲小提琴家收藏、咖啡經理、放射科醫生和熱帶魚專家的手中，最後出現在塔里西奧拍賣行，被蕭買下。