On view
European Viewing Room
John Cecil & Celia Felsher Viewing Room
John Cecil & Celia Felsher Viewing Room
Art-case parlor grand piano,
1909
Erard, active 18th–20th centuries, Paris, France and London, United Kingdom
2019-470
In 1777, the celebrated piano and harp maker Sébastien Érard (1752–1831) founded a workshop in Paris, where he enjoyed the patronage of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. During the French Revolution, he fled to London. His firm, which was operated by family members after his death, produced pianos prized by musicians including Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin. Many of the patents Érard secured—for example, the double escapement action, which allows a note to be played repeatedly in rapid succession—are still used in piano manufacturing today.
Information
Title
Art-case parlor grand piano
Dates
1909
Medium
Wood with inlay and ormolu
Credit Line
Gift of Deborah Broda-Morgan and John T. Morgan in memory of Joseph and Eleanor Broda
Object Number
2019-470
Culture
Type
Techniques
Erard Paris, completed March 29, 1909 [1]; sold April 7, 1909 to Monsieur Forest, Paris [2]. Deborah Broda-Morgan and John T. Morgan; 2019 gift to Princeton University Art Museum.
[1] Manufacturing ledger (Erard archives, Musee de la Musique, Paris).
[2] A piano dealer named Forest existed in Paris at this time; he may be the buyer of this piano.
