Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-02
DECORATING PIANOS.
Rare and Costly instruments De-
signed for Particular Rooms.
ONE OF FASHIONS LATEST FOIBLES
Descriptions Of Some of These Veritable
Works of Art
THE HARP, BANJO, GUITAR AND VIOLIN
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The piano and the billiard table have had
to concede something of their sufi cheney.
The piano especially has always been par
ticularly arrogant article of furniture. AT
this moment it is overawing hundreds Of
thousands of homes, from the Atlantic to
the gulf. 1t follows closely the Bible and
the traditional jug of whisky in the march
OF civilization. 1t has pushed its polished
surfaces to the haBitable limits of the from
tier, it is amusing in cabins where space is
precious, and mankind sleep three in bed,
to see this mounted oblong block, consum-
ing half the room, and putting to blush the
admiring visitor by impertinently showing
him his unshorn face in its shining side.
But when the decorative fever is abroad
the piano has had to fall into line. 1t is
not so much itself as it is part of something
else. And all the glitter and beautiful
decoration that is lavished upon it cannot
entirely hide the fact that the proud piano
has suffered humiliation.
But up to certain point the piano still
holds its own. 1t cannot exist but under
certain conditions. As mounted or up
right rectangle or triangle with its apex
knocked of its lines are clumsy and ugly.
At the same time they must be accepted.
There have been various attempts to get
around these. A Belgian has invented a
clavier harp to take its place. This is a
harp lying on its long straight line above a
box of ivory keys.
UNIQUE INSTRUMENTS.
It is really beautiful piece of furniture
and accepts decoration handsomely, but it Is
not and cannot be the good working instru-
ment that is the piano. There is an instance
also of a grand piano made in the last CEN
tury in which the harp-like works are up
right and mounted above the keyboard with
the covers opening like wings. The effect
is very fine. Such piano, ornamented in
the prevailing mode, would be one of the
most superb pieces OF furniture that could
be placed in a room, and it is pity that
some one who can afford the experiment
will not allow it to be made. IF successful,
it would inaugurate new era in pianos, as
everybody recognizes their impracticability
as furniture under their present shapes.
The all-conquering architect is the man who
has subdued the piano. In the beautiful
music rooms which are feature of the fine
houses he prescribes the outward semblance
OF the movables which go into it. As these
rooms are light and elegant in character
the whole tendency has been to refine
as much as possible to the lines of the piano,
to render it lighter in effect, and by decora-
ton to call away attention from its intracta-
BILE features To this end light woods are
very generally substituted for rosewood and
mahogany, except where the fitting of the
room demands dark wood. The light woods
are the lustrous satin wood, certain varieties
sc, IL ~
Some of the veneers are of wonderful
beauty. The Chickering's have burl, a
tawny wood suggesting cross between a
tiger and a tortoise-shel cat, which comes
from the Caucasus and is supposed to be a
diseased French walnut. Another and more
beautiful veneer is the Gamma, an incident
of Soute American importation supposed
also to be diseased growth. This fell into
the hands of Cottier & Co., and has been ex-
hausted in the cases of some of these mar
velous new pianos. 1t is several tones
darker than satin wood, but of equal beauty
of grain and gives relief to painted decora-
ton that the lighter veneer does not give.
ARTISTIC EFFORTS.
Where the veneer is not used in its own
beauty, gold leaf lacquered and enamels are
used. In Mrs. Whitelaw Reid's music room
the architects, McKun, Wade and White,
have incased the superb Steinway grand in
a case of white enamel traced with delicate
lines of gilt, which is as exquisite in effect
as if it was an ivory piano box.
The first of these decorated pianos was
made for the Newport villa of Miss Cath.
arine Wolf 1t was overlaid with the
beautiful Gamma wood and decorated with
painted panels. Cecilia and Orpheus and
Allegro. As it was intended to stand out
in the room, the back was an elaborate COM
position of perforated carving about large
panel containing allegorical representations
of music and dancing. These paintings
were special orders from London, and, as
works of art, gave immense distinction to
the piano.
The Steinway piano decorated by Mrs.
Alma Tdema for Mr.. Marquand is later
and more notable instance, but has been too
frequently described to require more notice
than recall as the supremest limit to
which decoration has yet gone. One of the
most superb pianos yet produced has been q
full Chickering grand for Mrs. Thomas
Scott, of Philadelphia. 1t is incased in
Gamma wood, and over the top painted, as
if carelessly strewn by hand, are peonies
and on the under side of the cover is paint
ed a large idyllic landscape, so that when
the cover is raised the inside of the piano
rivals the beauty of the decoration without
A Steinway piano something in kind is
owned by Mrs. Sydney Dillon Ripley, who
was formerly Miss Nellie Elheney, and the
daughter of the generous art patron. This
is encased in Gamma wood. The outside is
festooned in painted wreaths. In front the
center panel reveals three musicians seated
fddIing on a curved bench, and on each side
are oval panels containing painted nymphs.
Description cannot fully render the effect
without insisting on the beauty of the soft
tints of rose, green and blue relieved against
and in harmony with the rich mottled yell
lows of the Gamma veneer.
A FAvoRITE FASHION
is to entwine amid all this decoration a le-
gend, or the legend is made to furnish
large part of the decoration. This is usually
chosen by the owner. Colonel John Hay.
for example, in his Washington house has
fine Steinway in Gamma veneer, adorned
with painted wreaths and ribbons, and a
Greek legend in the characters of the orig
inal, which are of themselves an unique
decoration. A specimen piano of this kind
is owned by Cottier. 1t is a Chickering
baby grand, overlaid with gold lacquer.
The sides are festooned with wreaths united
by medallion portraits of the great compos-
ers. On the covering is a beautiful render
ing of Corot's Dance of Nymphs," and so
soft it seems like an illumination. Sur
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