Baron Johann Knoop
Baron Johann Knoop, was a collector of musical instruments who possessed a total of 29 great violins, violas, and cellos at one time or another including some four Stradivari violas. Several instruments are named after him:
Knoop's father, Johann Ludwig Knoop, emigrated from Germany to Russia, founded a textile industry in Narva, Estonia, and was granted the Russian title of "Baron", which he passed to his sons.
