MACKAY HUGH BAILLIE SCOTT (1865-1945) FOR JOHN BROADWOOD & SONS, LONDON Y
ARTS & CRAFTS ‘MANXMAN’ PIANO AND STOOL, CIRCA 1904
£3,276
Auction: 19 April 2023 at 10:00 BST
Description
oak, ebonised and ivory keys, brass and wrought steel candle sconces, with STOOL, oak with brass hinges and later but period upholstered seat, bears ivorine label for LIBERTY & CO
Dimensions
piano 148cm wide, 124cm high, 72cm deep, stool 93cm wide, 57cm high, 39cm deep
Provenance
Provenance: Collection of Gary Kemp, London
Footnote
Note: Upright pianos were generally perceived as ungainly and over-complicated designs and it wasn’t until the mid-1890s that design reformers attempted to reimagine the form. M.H. Baillie Scott's innovation, thought to derive from the form of an Elizabethan strongbox, was to enclose the keyboard, music stand and candleholders behind broad doors that rationalised the shape of the instrument. The result was a piece of drawing room furniture that is both cleverly functional and aesthetically pleasing. Baillie Scott first exhibited the piano at the Arts & Crafts exhibition of 1896. He moved to the Isle of Man in 1889 and hence this form of the piano is known as the ‘Manxman’. This example has been recently refurbished.
Note: Sold in compliance with UK Government and APHA regulations, with (non-transferable) exemption registration reference ST7V3G8N. Please be aware that this lot contains material which may be subject to import/export restrictions, especially outside Great Britain, due to CITES regulations. Please note it is the buyer's sole responsibility to obtain any relevant export or import licence. For more information visit http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/imports-exports/cites/