The owner of a missing Stradivari violin (shown at left) valued at $3.5 million is suing the New York dealer that apparently lost the 288-year-old instrument in April of 2002. The Cremona Society Ltd., a philanthropic organization that purchases fine instruments and makes them available to musicians, has charged Christophe Landon Rare Violins of Manhattan with negligence and breach of contract in a lawsuit filed recently in Dallas, where the society is based. In its lawsuit, the Cremona Society claims that Landon failed to protect the instrument, letting visitors view and even play it unsupervised, according to Bickel & Brewer, the Dallas law firm representing the society. Landon, which was acting as an agent for the Cremona Society in the sale of the violin, discovered that the instrument was missing on April 12, three days after it was shown to a prominent-but-unnamed player and reportedly returned to a locked room. A $100,000 reward was offered in May for information leading to the return of the instrument but it has yet to turn up. The 1714 Stradivari "Le Maurien" violin may be the latest of three Strads stolen in the past three years. The violin has had extensive restoration on the top between the f-holes, although the back, ribs, and scroll are in perfect condition. The varnish is golden red.