Arts and Crafts Ibach Grand Piano Designed by Dutch Architect Pierre Joseph Hubert Cuypers

A 1916, Arts and Crafts Ibach grand piano with a polished, mahogany case. The mahogany cabinet is polished so as to emphasize the quality of the wood used. Simple, rectangular lyre with 3 circular columns. Rectangular style and columns continued on gate legs with carved foliage detail at top. Piano cheeks feature square cut indents. Open work music desk features twisted brass spindles. This Ibach piano serial number 49571 is one of four ever made. Designed by Dutch Architect Pierre Joseph Hubert Cuypers, famous for designing the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam.
The Arts and Crafts Movement was an international design movement that flourished between 1880 and 1910. The movement stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often applied medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration. It sought to reassert the importance of design and craftsmanship in all the arts in the face of increasing industrialization, which was felt was sacrificing quality in the pursuit of quantity. Arts and Crafts objects were simple in form, without superfluous or excessive decoration, and how they were constructed was often still visible. They tended to emphasize the qualities of the materials used. The movement was successful in raising the status of the craftsman and promoting respect for native materials and traditions.