Upright cabinet piano made by George & Manby
Object No. H4366
This is an upright cabinet piano made by George & Manby of London in about 1840. This piano was an attempt to put grand piano sound into a small room. The height of the cabinet allowed the piano strings to reach lengths similar to those of a grand piano. Both pianos and harps were commonly found in Australian colonial homes across the middle and upper classes. They were brought to the colony on sailing ships often in place of more practical items. The instruments proclaimed their owners' social and cultural superiority and brought stability in the alien Australian environment. Highly decorative harps like this one exuded a perceived wealth and cultural ambition and were much easier to transport than pianos. Learning the harp or piano was a required achievement for young, well-to-do ladies of the colony.
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Summary
Object Statement
Upright cabinet piano, timber. metal & ivory, made by George & Manby, 85 Fleet Street, London, c.1840
Physical Description
Compass six and a half octaves (CC-f''''); lowest five strings single wound, remainder bichord; strings individually hitched; hammers felt covered; overdamper; wooden frame; clumsy sticker action and top-heaviness; mouldings on fronts of keys; two wooden pedals (una corda and sostenuto). Rosewood veneered case; pleated silk upper front panel with central rosette; plain column with carved capital on either side of panel; candle stand on each side of keyboard; heavily carved, turned legs on castors.
DIMENSIONS
Height
2010 mm
Width
1210 mm
Depth
630 mm
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 1941
Acquisition Date
30 September 1941
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