The Stradivarius violin owned by a musician who lived and worked in Canada for 40 years sold over the weekend for over $1.4 million US at a Boston auction.

The violin was the property of the great Hungarian-born musician Lorand Fenyves, who taught at the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario and the Banff Centre for the Arts. He moved to Toronto in 1966 after teaching and working in Israel and Switzerland.

Fenyves died in Canada in 2004 and his family put the rare instrument, estimated to have been created in 1724, up for auction in the hopes the instrument might carry his name.

Stradivarius violins have been known to pick up names to distinguish them from others created by master violin maker Antonio Stradivari and his family.

One such instrument, The Hammer, sold earlier this year for $3.5 million US at auction in New York. Other names include Lady Tennant, Messiah and The Dolphin.

The new owner of the instrument is not yet known.

Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers posted the final selling price for the violin at Sunday's sale at $1,436,000 US.