Artefacts
Square piano by Clementi & Co, Deutsches Museum, Munich
No 4447
Post Date: September 9, 2024
Last Modified: September 10, 2024
Square piano by Clementi & Co, Deutsches Museum, Munich
No 4447
Maker:
Clementi & Co
Year of Production:
1805
Place of Production:
London, England
Current Place:
Part of Companion:
The Troubling Sound of Mahogany: Sugar, Slaves, and Square Pianos
(Part of Publication: Private: Unsound Supplies)
(Part of Publication: Private: Unsound Supplies)
signed: “New Patent / Muzio Clementi & Co. / Cheapside London” on an oval cartouche
The instrument is signed “New Patent / Muzio Clementi & Co. / Cheapside London” on an oval cartouche surrounded by painted floral motifs in the middle of the nameboard above the keys; the blonde satinwood of the nameboard provides a visually attractive and aesthetically pleasant contrast to the red-brown mahogany of the case (left photo). With their lid panels closed, square pianos like this resembled elegant mahogany side tables that could fit in nicely with the furniture found in affluent households (right photo). (Image © Deutsches Museum).
Areas of Study
Post Date: September 9, 2024
Last Modified: September 10, 2024
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