The violin featured in the iconic scene of James Cameron’s Titanic film, where the ship’s band plays as the vessel sinks, is set to go under the hammer and could fetch up to £60,000 at auction.
The instrument was played on screen by actor and violinist Jonathan Evans-Jones, who portrayed Wallace Hartley, the real-life bandleader of the Titanic. In the memorable sequence, Hartley leads his fellow musicians in performing the hymn Nearer, My God, to Thee as the ship tragically descends into the Atlantic.
Wallace Hartley and all seven members of his band perished in the 1912 disaster, which claimed the lives of more than 1,500 passengers and crew after the ship struck an iceberg.
In the 1997 film Titanic, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as lovers from different social backgrounds, the violin can be seen multiple times during the ship’s final moments. Evans-Jones’s portrayal of Hartley added a poignant layer to the dramatized sinking, and the instrument played a key visual and emotional role in the scene.
Originally sold by Evans-Jones in 2013, the violin has since remained with a private collector. Now, the screen-used prop—accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity—is being offered at auction by Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, on April 26.
Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge expressed enthusiasm for the sale, stating, “Having sold the original violin that was played by Wallace Hartley when the Titanic sank on April 15th, 1912, for £1.1 million in 2013, we are delighted to offer the violin that was played in James Cameron’s movie for auction, one of the highest grossing movies of all time.”
Aldridge described the piece as “a true piece of movie history,” adding, “This is a unique item that will appeal to both Titanic enthusiasts and movie memorabilia collectors. It’s a true cross-collectible.”
The auction is expected to draw significant interest from collectors worldwide, given the film’s enduring popularity and the historical significance of the Titanic story.
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