HISTORIC ARTCASE

BROADWOOD

An 1880s Broadwood upright piano in rosewood case with Tudor style  custom case.

This piano was built expressly for G. Henry Wallis FSA - the son of George Wallis. Wallis was an expert in art and design and put together the Great Exhibition in 1851 and subsequently the South Kensington Museum (now known as the Victoria and Albert Museum, London) which he then became curator for. He trained his son to follow him at the V&A and Wallis jnr went on to establish other great Victorian municipal art collections and museums. Wallis had this instrument built for his personal use in a Tudor style. The instrument was donated in the 1930s and eventually in 2023 we discovered and acquired it. Original ivory and ebony keyboard and brass fittings throughout. The standard-scale seven-octave instrument is vertical-strung with gravity over-dampers. A dainty instrument, playable and tuned. It had substantial action work done in the 70s and we have had the fretwork restored. 

£1995