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Grand Piano

1815 - 1820 (made)
Artist/Maker
Stodart, William (maker)
Place of origin
London (made)

In 1792 William Stodart (fl. 1792-1838) took over the piano-making firm that his father Robert (1748-1813) had founded in 1775. The Stodarts supplied the Royal family with pianos, as the inscription on the nameboard states, and William's father taught music to the daughters of George III. This undated piano was almost certainly made before 1820, the year in which William Stodart's employees William Allen and James Thom invented tubular metal bracing. This device, designed to keep the piano's tuning stable in fluctuating temperatures, is not used on the present piano.

Object details

Category
Musical Instruments
Object type
Grand piano
Materials and techniques
Oak case with mahogany veneer, rosewood cross-banding and brass stringing; Brass collars on the tops of solid mahogany legs; Ivory covered naturals and ebony sharps
Mahogany
Rosewood
Brass
Oak
Stringing
Veneering
Brief description
English grand piano, 1815-25, oak with mahogany and rosewood veneers and brass stringing, William Stodart, 1815 - 1820.
Physical description
Grand piano, with a range of seventy-three notes, CC - C4. Its case is oak, veneered with mahogany, cross-banded with rosewood and decorated with brass stringing. Fluted legs of solid mahogany, surmounted with brass collars.
Dimensions
  • Length: 227.5cm
  • Width: 114.5cm
  • Height of piano without its legs height: 29.8cm
  • Height of piano with its legs. height: 90.4cm
Measurements taken from Howard Schott: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part I: Keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), pp. 119-120.
Marks and inscriptions
William Stodart / Maker to their Majesties and Royal Family / Golden Square, London (Inscribed in ink on the nameboard of the piano.)
Gallery label
(pre September 2000)
GRAND PIANO, William Stodart, London, about 1815-1820.
Inscribed William Stodart/Maker to their Majesties and Royal Family/Golden Square London. The instrument has a range of six octaves, CC-c4. The case is veneered in mahogany, with brass inlay and rosewood cross-banding.

Museum No. W.5-1952
Keyboard Catalogue No. 46

William Stodart became a partner of his father's firm in the 1790s. The firm became William Stodart & Son in about 1825 and ended trading following the death of his son Malcolm in 1861. The decoration is characteristic of English furniture between about 1810 and 1820.

Given by Miss R. M. Scott.
Credit line
Given by Miss R.M. Scott
Object history
This instrument was given to the Museum in 1952 by Miss R.M. Scott. It was lent to the National Trust at Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire, from 1976 to 1994 (see Nominal File MA/1/N1064).
Summary
In 1792 William Stodart (fl. 1792-1838) took over the piano-making firm that his father Robert (1748-1813) had founded in 1775. The Stodarts supplied the Royal family with pianos, as the inscription on the nameboard states, and William's father taught music to the daughters of George III. This undated piano was almost certainly made before 1820, the year in which William Stodart's employees William Allen and James Thom invented tubular metal bracing. This device, designed to keep the piano's tuning stable in fluctuating temperatures, is not used on the present piano.
Bibliographic reference
Howard Schott: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part I: Keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), pp. 119-120.
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.5-1952

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Record createdMay 16, 2001
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O58874/grand-piano-stodart-william/
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