Surely one of Guarneri del Gesù's most famous violins. The instrument owes its nickname to Paganini, who had called it "my violin cannon". In his last will and testament Nicolò Paganini donated the violin to the city of Genova, but only in 1851 did the mayor Baron Antonio Profumo formally take the precious violin into custody.

In 1937 it became necessary to do maintenance on the instrument so it could be played. This took place just before the instrument was sent to Cremona for the exhibit celebrating the bicentennial of Stradivari's death. The difficult task was appointed to the violin maker Cesare Candi.

Since June, 2000 the conservation of the instrument has been entrusted to Bruce Carlson.