French ca.1785-1800 Fortepiano
2 kneelevers for :
- Dampers lift
- Moderator
- Cristofori-Silbermann style action
This extremly rare piano is one of the earliest French grand pianos but has 2 other sisters in France and Vienna, all looking very similar, probably being made around a period of time. The one in Vienna has a painted lid from a later period. The 3 are beautifully veneered and have 5 octaves with Silberman Style action. The ribbing of the soundboard of this piano shows strong connection between the Strassbourg Silbermann's soundboard construction as well as the action. But at the same time the case and tail looks more like German fortepianos in Stein school while the right cheek is very long similar to harpsichords.
Stein pianos with leathered hammers never had a moderator but his daughter and son (Nanette and Andre) but also those who made Stein school pianos mostly did make a moderator as this anonymus maker did.
Dampers remind us the tangent pianos of Spath & Schmahl.
There is one thing in common with the Berner tangent piano of the collection and that is the very clever style of V dampers. They have no leather glued on the edges on a V shape wood but the whole V shape that goes between the two string is made of a thick leather which is working properly now after some 220-30 years!
