Viotti is thought to have commissioned the construction of at least one replica of this violin .
The violin receives its name from its first known owner , violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti , who is said to have received it as a love token from Catherine the Great .
violinist is thought to have commissioned the construction of at least one replica of this violin .
The violin receives its name from its first known owner , violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti , who is said to have received it as a love token from Catherine the Great .