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NMM 3587. Grand piano by Anton Martin Thÿm, Vienna, ca. 1815. Seven pedals: una corda, harp, bassoon, damper, strong moderator, medium moderator, and Janissary (bells and bass drum). Such special effects were popular in Vienna at the time, particularly among upper-class young ladies, who were expected to provide music to entertain their guests. The purpleheart case has an inlaid ebony/fruitwood edging that depicts a red vine with sunflowers and leaves, strings of red beads with an ink drawing of a woman's face in the center, and grapes and grape leaves. The vertical moldings contain three images--a portrait of a woman, a profile of a man, and a lyre. The piano is held up by four Nubian slaves with long, gold-painted turbans. The pedal support, also gold-painted, is in the shape of a fountain, supported by the tails of two dolphins. |
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The curved, fruitwood nameboard features a delicately drawn pen and ink landscape that includes angels and cherubs, a statue of a woman, an amorous couple with the man holding a lyre and the woman a wreath, and a large rock, right of center, on which the signature, Anton Martin Thÿm/No. 94, is inscribed. The spelling, Vienne, rather than Wien, reflects the fashion at the time in Vienna to write also in the French language. Restoration funds gift of Stella Anker, Vermillion, South Dakota. Rawlins fund, 1985.
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