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A fine cabinet piano by Astor & Co., English, circa 1814-15 the…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
18-Nov-2014
Lot No.
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Description:
A fine cabinet piano by Astor & Co., English, circa 1814-15 the case attributed to Louis Constantin Le Gaigneur 6 octaves, FFF to f3. 234 cm high, 114 cm wide, 63 cm deep An important English Regency period cabinet piano by Astor & Co., 79 Cornhill Street London. In best black Brazillian rosewood, the scrolled pediment in the manner of Thomas Hope, with ormolu mounts centred by Apollo’s lyre. Supported by a cast ormolu and premiere - partie brass inlaid rosewood frieze. The pediment supported on richly carved buttresses, above further panels of premiere partie inlaid brass. The cabinet door filled with a sunburst of silk centred by cast and gilt bronze mask of Louis XIV as Apollo, surrounded by cast gilt bronze fillets, with leafy lyre spandrels to the corners. The keyboard lid similarly inlaid and mounted, to the inside and outside, with central brass engraved tablet ASTOR & Co.79 Cornhill Street, London. Supported on turned and reeded brass mounted legs on patent ball casters, the doors to the lower cabinet with gilt bronze fillets to the panels; the central panels inlaid in premiere partie brass arabesques, in the manner of the 17th century, French court cabinet maker Jean Berain Arguably the finest example of English Regency period casework ever conceived for a cabinet pianoforte, the present lot represents an opportunity for Australian purchasers to acquire an item of international significance. Provenance: W.F. Bradshaw Pianoforte Collection Exhibited: The Pianoforte Past. The Queen Street Galleries c. 1990 Catalogue Number 14. 'Unquestionably the most splendid piano in the collection. With its profuse brass inlay (even on the pedals) and lavish gilt ormolu mounts, it must surely have been made for a setting as opulent as the Pavillion at Brighton or Carlton House. A most unusual feature is the cresting atop the cornice - an elegant lyre harp centred with a broken pediment finished with cast Grecian scrolls which are in turn mounted with cast finely detailed paterae. Originally this instrument was constructed as a cabinet grand. However at an early stage of manufacture, Astor & Co. would appear to have changed their minds and finished it as a bi chord cabinet piano. The great height of the piano approaches that of the upright grand'. A note accompanying this lot by W.F. Bradshaw states that the piano was acquired in Upper St, Clapham, London and that the owner had previously acquired the piano from a person who believed that it had been owned by Mrs Fitzherbert. ASTOR & Co. George Peter Astor, born 1752, after his apprenticeship in Germany, went to London about 1778. He was followed a year later by his brother John Jacob Astor (1763 - 1848),. In 1783, early in the development of the firm, John Jacob Astor began travelling to the newly formed United States of America to sell pianos and flutes. He established a shop at 81 Queen Street (now Pearl Street) in New York City, which at the time was the heart of the musical instrument and furniture business. He became involved in the highly profitable fur trade, sending furs to the UK in exchange for pianos that were manufactured by his brother. The profits were invested in fur trading stations in America and real estate in New York City. At the turn of the century, the Astor family were the wealthiest family in New York City. George Peter Astor maintained the piano manufactory initially at Holywell Street London. In the late 1790s, Astor moved to 79 Cornhill Street London. In 1801 the partners with George Astor were George Horwood and Benjamin Banks. After Astor’s death in 1813, his widow continued on the business until 1815 as Astor and Horwood. Examples represented: National Museum of American History. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. University of Kentucky, Lexington National Music Museum USA. LOUIS CONSTANTIN LE GAIGNEUR Born Caen in 1777, flourished London 1814 - 1821, about whom little is known and whose oeuvre is small, operated from The Buhl Manufactory, 4 Homer Street and 19
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified