A RARE violin made by a well known Italian instrument maker has sold for £3,200 at auction.

It was made by Aristide Cavalli in 1923 and sold at Addisons of Barnard Castle’s Winter Fine Art and Antiques Sale on December 8.

The violin attracted a lot of interest from bidders and was sold to a UK-based telephone bidder.

Richard Edwards, senior auctioneer and valuer at Addisons, said: “We have been getting a lot of quality musical instruments in recent sales and they are reaching very good prices.

“They make a particularly good investment at the moment and are of course beautiful things to own, especially if you can play them as well.

” There was also a lot of English pottery on sale too including a model of a seated futurist cat by Victorian artist Louis Wain which sold for £2,600.