Steinway & Sons

Description: An exceptional and highly individual Steinway & Sons Art Case grand piano (Model A) commissioned in 1898 for the American industrialist George Clemson at the height of the Gilded Age. This one-of-a-kind instrument reflects a moment in which newly established industrial wealth was expressed through highly individualized works of decorative art.

The instrument remains structurally sound, retaining its original soundboard, bridges, and ivory keys, with a largely original action and sensitively replaced hammers. The decorative surfaces are well preserved overall; however, the extensive giltwood gilding and painted Vernis Martin surfaces exhibit areas of age-related wear, particularly to the case and side panels, and would benefit from professional conservation given the rarity and specialized nature of this technique. This piano is accompanied by its original matching bench, similarly ornamented.

This instrument carries dual significance—both as a finely engineered grand piano by one of the most esteemed makers in its field and as a work of decorative fine art. Its integrated giltwood case, painted panels, and Vernis Martin decoration elevate it beyond a musical instrument into a unified Gilded Age work of art, in which craftsmanship, design, and ornament are conceived as a single artistic whole.

The case, executed in richly figured curly maple, features five inset painted panels in the Fête Galante style, attributed to G. Gengoult of the Toul/Nancy region—home to the École de Nancy and later a center of Art Nouveau. The use of Vernis Martin lacquer, executed here with notable depth and refinement, reflects the advanced decorative practices of this region, associated with artists such as Auguste Majorelle and Louis Majorelle. Painting, carving, and form are integrated into a cohesive giltwood case enriched with carved ornament and extensive gilding.

Commissioned for the Clemson residence in Middletown, New York, the piano remained there until 1943, when the estate was dispersed. Acquired at that time by the present family, it has remained in their possession for nearly eighty years, establishing a clear and continuous two-family provenance.