Pedal Harp thumbnail 1
Pedal Harp thumbnail 2
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This object consists of 2 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Pedal Harp

1858 (made)
Artist/Maker
S. & P. Erard (maker)
Place of origin
London (made)

The Erard family produced harps and pianos of the highest quality in both Paris (from 1780) and London (from 1792), and enjoyed the patronage of both Napoleon and the Prince Regent. Pierre Erard (1794-1855) ran the London operation from 1814 and took over the entire firm after the death of his uncle Sebastien in 1831. In 1833 Pierre started making harps in the Gothic style, which by then was highly fashionable. This harp is fitted with a double action: by pushing a pedal into one of two notches, the player could raise each string either a semi-tone or whole tone. From the mid 1830s, the London branch of the firm increasingly specialized in harps and the Paris branch in pianos.

Object details

Category
Musical Instruments
Object type
Pedal harp
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Pedal Harp
  • Leather Cover
Materials and techniques
Partly gilt bird's-eye maple veneered body and column, pine soundboard, brass pedals and name plate, steel workings and iron wrest pins.
Maple
Gold Leaf
Brass
Steel
Iron
Gesso
Pine
Carving
Gilding
Planing
Brief description
English pedal harp, partly gilt birdseye maple body and column, pine soundboard, by S. & P. Erard, 1858.
Physical description
"The pillar has Gothic decoration at its base and top, the latter having six facets from one of which springs the neck. The other [facets] bear applied moulded reliefs of medieval figures surmounted by arcading. Below two angels are scrolls inscribed Pierre Erard. Published Dec 19 1833. The neck is decorated with gilt lines, like the soundbox. Double action mechanism. Eight pedals." - Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 82.
Dimensions
  • Height: 170cm
  • Depth: 86cm
Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 82
Style
Gothic
Marks and inscriptions
  • Sebastian and Pierre Erard's Pattent No 6223/ 18 Great Marlborough Streeet, London (Engraved on brass plate, at the left end of the top of the instrument, between the wrest pins and fourchettes.)
  • Pierre Erard. Published Dec 19 1833 (Stamped on gilt gesso scrolls placed below two angels at the top of the gothic pillar of the harp.)
  • 6212 P.A. (This is written in pencil underneath the base of the harp. With the help of this number it was possible to trace the date of manufacture (1858) through the Erard Ledgers (London, Royal College of Music).)
Gallery label
(pre September 2000)
PEDAL HARP
By S & P Erard, London, 1858
Giltwood, with Gothic decoration.
Inscribed: Sebastien and Pierre Erard's patent No.6212 / 18 Great Marlborough Street, London. Below the angels on the pillar is the date Dec. 19 1833, when this model first appeared.

Non-keyboard catalogue: 16/14

The firm of Erard specialised in making high quality pianos and harps. One branch of their business was in Paris and the other in London, and they even managed to enjoy the patronage of both Napoleon and the Prince Regent at the same time. From the 1830s many innovative instruments such as an award-winning upright piano and the "Gothic" harp were produced. The date of 1858 has been arrived at through research into the Erard ledgers.

In 1810, the "double action" was patented, and this enabled the pitch of each string to be raised either a semi-tone or whole tone. This involved introducing two rows of "fourchettes" (i.e. small brass discs each with a pair of pins) at the top of the instrument and two notches for each pedal.

W.48-1931

Given by Miss E. M. Daniell.
Credit line
Given by Miss E.M. Daniell.
Object history
This instrument was given to the Museum in 1931 by Miss E.M. Daniell of Bournemouth. Her ancestor. Mr E.J. Daniell, of Devonport Street, Hyde Park London, acquired it in 1863, five years after it had been made.

An identical harp was offered for sale by Gardiner Houlgate, Bath, 15 December 2017, lot 717. It was offered with a copy of the firm's ledger entry no. 5045 dated July 1836.
Subject depicted
Angels
Summary
The Erard family produced harps and pianos of the highest quality in both Paris (from 1780) and London (from 1792), and enjoyed the patronage of both Napoleon and the Prince Regent. Pierre Erard (1794-1855) ran the London operation from 1814 and took over the entire firm after the death of his uncle Sebastien in 1831. In 1833 Pierre started making harps in the Gothic style, which by then was highly fashionable. This harp is fitted with a double action: by pushing a pedal into one of two notches, the player could raise each string either a semi-tone or whole tone. From the mid 1830s, the London branch of the firm increasingly specialized in harps and the Paris branch in pianos.
Bibliographic reference
Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 82
Collection
Furniture and Woodwork Collection
Accession number
W.48-1931

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Record createdMay 16, 2001
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O58933/pedal-harp-s--p/
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