Among all Stradivarius instruments, the 1704 "Viotti" is particularly celebrated for having been cherished throughout the lifetime of the great violinist for whom it is named: Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755–1824), who is said never to have parted with it.

The instrument's recorded history begins with Viotti himself as its first owner. After his death, it was sold at auction at the Hôtel Bouillon in Paris, where it was acquired by Bishop and Oliphant — descendants of the Findgask family, Scottish landowners. According to the 1882 records of Charles-Eugène Gand, it subsequently passed to a Mr. Muir, then through his executors to Robert Crawford of the Leith distillery in Scotland and the son of the Crawford Bakery, and eventually to the prominent London instrument dealer George Hart.

In the twentieth century, the violin traveled internationally through a succession of collectors and enthusiasts, including John Harrison — a colonel in the Royal Engineers and father of the celebrated Harrison sisters — the South African businessman Yoel, and collector Robert A. Bower of Somerset, England. In 1925, Jay C. Freeman, president of the American firm Rudolph Wurlitzer, purchased it from John & Arthur Beare of London, after which it passed into the hands of violin maker Eric Lachman. Notably, Lachman is said to have exchanged the "Viotti" for another Stradivarius, the "Woolhouse," owned by instrument collector Adolf Steiner-Schweizer.

Following Adolf's death, the instrument passed through the dealership Hamma & Company before being purchased in 1932 by the Stuttgart entrepreneur Arthur Reinhold Weber. With Weber's agreement, the violin was exhibited at the "Stradivari 200th Anniversary Exhibition" held in Cremona in 1937.

After centuries of travel, the instrument entered the Munetsugu Collection through Nihon Violin in 2009. In recent years, this violin has been performed on by the internationally acclaimed violinist Fumiaki Miura.
Its distinctive voice has captivated contemporary audiences through his performances.