Piano thumbnail 1
Piano thumbnail 2
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Piano

ca. 1860 (made), ca. 1860 (decorated)
Artist/Maker
Priestley, Frederick (maker)
Burne-Jones (artist)
Place of origin
London (made)
London (decorated)

This modest instrument was made by Frederick Priestley, an otherwise unknown piano maker, and given as a wedding present to Edward Burne-Jones in 1860. He subsequently decorated it with a scene from the Medieval Romance, the 'Chant d’Amour' and an allegory of death. In her biography, The Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones, his wife referred to a picture of Death on the panel below the keyboard, 'standing outside the gate of a garden where a number of girls, unconscious of his approach, are resting and listening to music'.

Object details

Category
Musical Instruments
Object type
Piano
Parts
This object consists of 7 parts.

  • Piano
  • Candle Arm
  • Bracket
  • Candle Arm
  • Bracket
  • Front Panel
  • Textile Panel
Materials and techniques
American oak case, painted with shellac varnish
American Walnut
Shellac
Paint
Joining
Painting
Varnishing
Brief description
English piano, ca. 1860, manufactured by F. Priestley, painted by Edward Burne-Jones
Physical description
Piano of American walnut painted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones Bart. Inside the lid is a design for the "Chant D'Amour" and below the keyboard a figure of Death and the maidens playing music. The instrument by Priestly of Berners Street, has copper candle branches attached to the sides.
Dimensions
  • Length: 127cm (Note: Height: 51.4cm Width: 125cm Dept: 1.8cm)
  • Height: 93.5cm
  • Depth: 47cm
  • Front panel ( w.43 6 1926) height: 51.4cm (Note: Front panel measurements taken from object part by Max Donnelly.)
  • Front panel ( w.43 6 1926) width: 125cm (Note: Front panel measurements taken from object part by Max Donnelly.)
  • Front panel ( w.43 6 1926) depth: 1.8cm (Note: Front panel measurements taken from object part by Max Donnelly.)
  • Front panel ( w.43 7 1926) height: 16.1cm (Note: Front panel measurements taken from object part by Max Donnelly.)
  • Front panel ( w.43 7 1926) width: 115cm
Content description
Girls resting and listening to music
Production typeUnique
Copy number
1468
Marks and inscriptions
  • F.Priestley, 15, Berners Street, Oxford Street (Makers's mark and retailer's; Gothic; nameboard, above the keys; printed; About 1860)
  • PRISTLEY'S PATENT/ LONDON (Patent registration for style of applied decoration; Soundboard; stamped; About 1860)
  • 1468 (Registration number; Soundboard, next to Patent mark.; written; ink; About 1860)
Gallery label
(pre September 2000)
UPRIGHT PIANO, English, about 1860. Inscribed on the nameboard, F.Priestly, 15 Berners Street, Oxford Street; painted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, with scenes from the "Chant d'Amour" inside the keyboard and Death and the Maidens on the lower half of the instrument. The instrument has a compass of eighty-two notes, CC - a4, with keys covered in ivory and the sharps in ebony. The body is of lacquered American walnut.

Museum No.: W.43-1926
Keyboard Catalogue No.: 51

Edward and Georgina Burne-Jones were given the instrument by his aunt in 1860, and its simple design enabled the artist to paint the surface with the themes mentioned above. In her biography The Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones, Lady Burne-Jones wrote "On the panel beneath the keyboard there is a gilded and lacquered picture of Death, veiled and crowned, standing outside the gate of a garden where a number of girls, unconscious of his approach are resting and listening to music".

Presented by Mrs J.W.Mackail.
Credit line
Given by Mrs J. W. Mackail, daughter of the artist
Object history
The painted panel below the keyboard (W.43:6-1926) was exhibited: Edward Burne-Jones: Pre-Raphaelite Visionary, Tate Britain, London, 24 October 2018 - 24 February 2019.
Production
Attribution note: The piano has a serial number, which implies the case form was made on a large scale. However, the decoration by Burne-Jones makes it unique.
Reason For Production: Private
Subjects depicted
Chant D'Amour
Death
Summary
This modest instrument was made by Frederick Priestley, an otherwise unknown piano maker, and given as a wedding present to Edward Burne-Jones in 1860. He subsequently decorated it with a scene from the Medieval Romance, the 'Chant d’Amour' and an allegory of death. In her biography, The Memorials of Edward Burne-Jones, his wife referred to a picture of Death on the panel below the keyboard, 'standing outside the gate of a garden where a number of girls, unconscious of his approach, are resting and listening to music'.
Bibliographic reference
Angela Thirkell, Three Houses. London, Allison & Busby, 2012 (first published 1931). pp. 153-4
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.43-1926

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Record createdMay 16, 2001
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O58869/piano-priestley-frederick/
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