Erard Parallel-Strung Grand Piano with Bench, Paris, 1895

About the Item

This beautiful grand piano was built by Erard in Paris in 1895. With irreplaceable original cabinet art created and signed by an artist named Finel - specifically commissioned by the original purchaser - this piano retains original ivory keys, as well as most other parts, and has been magnificently restored and conditioned by Frits Janmaat at Erard Maison in Amsterdam. A later example of parallel stringing and construction of a grand piano, this piano walks the line between an historical and contemporary piano sound. This pristine example of Erard's turn of the century work is believed to have had an extended residence of nearly 120 years at a salon at a villa in Ghent, Belgium belonging to the family of legendary Russian-born pianist, socialite and patron of the arts, Misia Sert, and as such, would have been played by many luminary composers and concert pianists of the late Romantic and early Modern periods. The piano is featured on the soundtrack of the audiobook version of "Escapement" by best-selling novelist Kristen Wolf, and was also featured onstage at the Boulder Bach Festival in May 2022 in collaboration with some of the finest classical musicians in the United States. With the assistance of the renowned music director Sergiu Luca, this Erard was most recently purchased by two professional concert pianists following exhaustive travels across Europe and the United States in search of the finest historical pianos. Sébastien Érard (1752 - 1831) was a French instrument maker of German birth, who specialized in the production of pianos and harps, developing the capacities of both instruments and pioneering the modern piano. Before he was twenty-five he set up in business for himself, and built his first pianoforte in 1777 in his Paris factory, relocating fifteen years later to premises in London's Great Marlborough Street to escape the French Revolution, due to his increasing fame and several commissions for Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and others having placed him at risk. Returning to Paris in 1796, he soon afterwards introduced grand pianofortes, made in the English fashion, with improvements of his own - most notably "double escapement" actions that allow notes to be repeated more easily than in single actions. It is just one of many Érard innovations still found on modern pianos. Érard was the first maker in Paris to fit pedals on the piano. Other Érard piano patents deal mainly with technicalities of the keyboard action, soundboard, and tuning mechanism, and virtually all of these innovations are retained today in modern piano design. Serial number: 77435. Additional inscription, as shown.

Creator:
Maison Erard (Workshop/Studio),Sébastien Érard (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 37.75 in (95.89 cm)Width: 53 in (134.62 cm)Depth: 83.5 in (212.09 cm)
Style:
Romantic (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Ebony,Metal,Wood,Hand-Painted
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1890-1899
Date of Manufacture:
1895
Condition:
Additions or alterations made to the original: Only the most minor necessary replacements or repairs have been made. Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Littleton, CO
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5401237595962
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