Square pianoforte.

John Broadwood and Sons

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Instrument

Square pianoforte/Pianofortes/Keyboard/Musical Instrument ; Square pianoforte

Instrument Family

Keyboard

Maker

John Broadwood and Sons

Place Made

London ; Europe ; England ; United Kingdom

Date Made

1837

Description

Technical description: English square pianoforte. Compass 73 notes, F₁ - F₇. Total height of instrument with the lid closed 850, height from the floor to the top of the natural touchplates 696. Double strung, except in the bass from F₁ - B₂ which has single overspun strings. Late Broadwood square piano action with hopper dampers. Pedal to raise the dampers. Ivory naturals, ebony accidentals, sycamore keyfronts. Natural touchplates length 45, accidental touchplates length 82 (at the middle of the compass). Three-octave span 491. Soundboard has an iron plate behind the bridge acting as a treble hitchpin holder. Iron bar between the plate and the wrestplank. The soundboard extends partly behind the keyboard, the division occurring between C₆ and C♯₆. Dampers from F₁ - B₅. Sycamore wrestplank veneer. Spruce soundboard at 45° to the front of the case. Red cloth between the bridge and hitchpin rail to dampen extra resonances. Four simple turned legs on castors. Music desk attached to the back of the nameboard and another on the lid flap. Lid flap of one single section. The lid is held open by a prop-stick on the right-hand side. Three hinges at the back, six between the lid and the flap. The keywell flap is hinged to the lid flap. Provision for dust-cover, now missing. Serial number: 48999 / 56687. Overall size: 1709. Body length: 1709. Body width: 665. Body depth: 273. Inscribed on the nameboard "John Broadwood & Sons, / Makers to their Majesties & the Princesses / Great Pulteney Street, Golden Square / London". Impressed on the wrestplank at the bass end "48999"; other illegible writing on wrestplank. Stamped on spine "ALEX WATT". Stamped on the bridge "RS". Written in pencil on key 1 "23/9/37", "J H Archer", and "hn" (?). Written in ink on key 66 "Irvine". Written in pencil on back of the nameboard "56687". Decorative features: Mahogany case with curved front corners. Nameboard veneered in rosewood, curved at the ends to also form the keywell sides. Fretwork patterns either side of the nameplate and in the back right-hand corner, backed by red silk.

Notes

D.P. Martin, 1996-1997.

Measurements

Instrument: 68.58cm wide, 173.36cm long, 31.75cm deep. ; 1709.

Provenance

Formerly owned by Miss B. Bertram, Worksop, Nottinghamshire. ; Gift of Dundee Museums and Art Galleries, 1986.

Collection

MIMEd

Accession Number

2698

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