Description
Unique Design
An 1897, Arts and Crafts style, Bechstein upright piano with a rosewood case, fretwork panels and ornate brass hinges in a stylised floral design. Unique design by Walter Cave, executed by C. Bechstein and exhibited by Maple & Co. C. Bechstein is inscribed on a square, brass plaque on the piano fall. The front panel features cupboard doors, which open so as to allow the music desk to fall into place. These doors occupy half the width of the front, so that they fold back out of the way of the player. The candle sconces are concealed behind the doors and brought into use when required. The music desk is in an openwork folkloric inspired design of stylised birds, foliage and flowers. The brass candle holders also feature cut-out stylised bird motifs. The front panel is flanked by two circular fretwork panels backed in fabric that act as a sound box. The openwork design again depicts stylised flowers and leaves. The cabinet is dominated by large, sculptural brass hinges that pick up on the stylised cut-out floral theme and feature folkloric hearts.
Walter Frederick Cave
Walter Frederick Cave (1863 - 1939) was an English architect, active in the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who worked firstly in the Arts and Crafts style, and latterly in the Classical Revival. In addition to architecture, Cave worked as a landscape gardener, interior designer, furniture maker and cricketer
Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts decorative style was based on the following principles; handmade, simple forms with little ornamentation, beauty of natural materials, copper and pewter, stylised flowers, allegories from the Bible and literature, upside down hearts, Celtic motifs.
C. Bechstein
C. Bechstein Pianoforte AG (also known as Bechstein) is a German manufacturer of pianos, established in 1853 by Carl Bechstein. Carl Bechstein set out to manufacture a piano able to withstand the great demands imposed on the instrument by the virtuosi of the time, such as Franz Liszt. In 1862, C. Bechstein was awarded gold medals at the London International Exhibition. By 1870, with endorsements from Franz Liszt and Hans von Bulow, Bechstein pianos had become a staple in many concert halls and private mansions. By January 1886 they were among the piano manufacturers holding a royal warrant as a supplier to the Queen. In 1885, Bechstein opened a branch in London, that eventually grew to become the largest showroom and dealership in Europe.
