Short answers, pulled from the story.
The earliest visual record dates from 1535 when the cupola of Madonna dei Miracoli in Saronno, Italy depicted angels playing violins. This image stands as one of the first known depictions of the instrument family.
Andrea Amati constructed the oldest known violin for French King Charles IX by 1560. The instrument now resides in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford.
Spruce wood forms the top plate while maple creates the ribs and back. Ebony serves as the preferred material for fingerboards due to its hardness and resistance to wear.
The current record price paid for a Stradivari reached £9.8 million when Lady Blunt sold via Tarisio Auctions on the 20th of June 2011.
Indian classical music often tunes violins to D-A-D-A pairs resembling Sa-Pa intervals. South Indian styles maintain these relative pitch intervals regardless of absolute pitch values.