The name of this violin is derived from the well-known English astronomer Sir William Huggins (1824-1910) who once possessed it. This instrument was previously obtained from France in the late 1870’s by Mr. T. Zack of Vienna, and from him, it was brought to W. E. Hill & Sons of England in around 1880, then sold to Sir William Huggins in 1882. He retained it until his death and it was re-purchased by W. E. Hill & Sons from his widow. It was then sold to Mr. Richard Bennett, a well-known amateur and collector. It returned to W. E. Hill & Sons in 1919 and was sold to a renowned collector Mr. Felix Kahn in the same year. In 1924, Mr. Kahn sold the violin to Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. in New York, and in the same year it was purchased from them by Mr. Gustavo Herten of Buenos Aires, a well-known collector who owned a number of fine instruments. After Mr. Herten, the violin was bought by Mr. Zlatko Balokovic. In 1931, this violin was sold to Mr. Charles Petschek of New York from the dealer Emil Herrmann. In 1990, the well-known soloist Cho-Liang Lin purchased it from the heirs of Mr. Petschek and he had since used this violin for concerts and recordings. Nippon Music Foundation purchased this instrument in March 1995.

The back is in one piece of maple with a handsome medium-broad curl descending to the right. The sides are similarly marked. The scroll being of maple is of less pronounced curl. The table in two pieces of spruce is marked by fine grain at the center becoming more open and slightly wavy towards the flanks. The varnish is of a rich orange color.