The “Hellier” Stradivarius, made in 1679 by the Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari, is expected to achieve between £6 million and £9 million (US$7.5 million and US$11.3 million) at a July auction at Christie’s London, the auction house said Monday.

Made by Stradivari (1644-1737) during the early stage of his career, the violin was his first attempt to break the violin-making tradition that great Cremonese maker Nicolò Amati (1660-1690) had developed, which focused on strict proportions.