Grand Piano. Sir Thomas Graham Jackson (1835-1924). 1893-94. Source: The Magazine of Art. [another view] [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Internet Archive and the University of Toronto and (2) link your document to this URL or cite the Victorian Web in a print document.]
The grand piano, of which we give two aspects, was designed by Mr. T. G. Jackson, A. R. A., for Messrs Broadwood and Sons, to the order of Mr. and Mrs. Athelstan Riley. It is a beautiful example of what can be done by co-operation of art and craft. Mr. Jackson's design is altogether novel and pleasing, not only in its decorative treatment, but in the actual form of the instrument itself. This is especially marked by the way in which he has avoided the difficulties connected with the supports of the pianoforte, which have so puzzled designers in the past. He does away with the conventional legs, substituting a stand composed at either end of a series of pillars of classic form connected by beams, from which spring a pair of carved scrolls suggesting an arch, upon which the body of the instrument is supported. Mr. Jackson has thus adopted a method which is at once graceful and unique. The inside of the lid is richly decorated with laurel boughs, wrought in golden green on a background of vermillion enamel, the chief motive following the form of a lyre-bird's positions. The keyboard is varied by the black keys being chequered with ivory ilays while the “naturals” are elaborately carved at the ends. The hinges and other fittings are of brass and richly chased. [106-107]
References
“Our Illustrated Notebook.” The Magazine of Art 16 (1893): 106-108. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Toronto Library. Web. 21 October 2014.
Last modified 21 October 2014