(of piano works) Martins & Son (United States, New York, active 1846–ca. 1895). <em>Pianoforte</em>, ca. 1870. Rosewood, walnut, 57 × 80 × 30 in., 662 lb. (144.8 × 203.2 × 76.2 cm, 300.28kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Ray Blatt and Joseph Blatt, 61.231. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 61.231_acetate_bw.jpg)

(of piano works) Martins & Son (United States, New York, active 1846–ca. 1895). Pianoforte, ca. 1870. Rosewood, walnut, 57 × 80 × 30 in., 662 lb. (144.8 × 203.2 × 76.2 cm, 300.28kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Ray Blatt and Joseph Blatt, 61.231. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 61.231_acetate_bw.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

This piano is cool!

Isn't it?! In the late 19th century people were very interested in bringing design ideas from "exotic" places into their homes.

Egypt was a favourite, as were Japan, India, and Morocco. Rooms would combine elements from these places in a very eclectic way. Steam engines and other new developments in transportation allowed people to travel further and more easily than ever before, which impacted design and the decorative arts.

Can you tell me more about who made this?

The marker of the piano elements was Martin & Sons, a Manhattan based piano manufacturer working around 1870. Martins and Son, originally Martins & Ouvrier, established a piano shop in New York in 1846, and continued producing pianos into the 1890s.The case was actually made by the furniture firm Pottier & Stymus, a prominent American furniture and design firm of the Victorian period.

Is this a hand made piano?

This piano was made by a company called Martins & Son, a Manhattan based manufacturer working around 1870. They were a small family business, so my guess would be that the piano is handcrafted, yes.

How old is this piano?

This pianoforte dates to around 1870. So it was made around 150 years ago.

Pianoforte

Decorative Arts and Design

Although the large and arresting gilt-bronze mounts of pharaonic heads that decorate either side of this superb pianoforte are emphatic examples of Egyptomania, other decorative elements are derived from different ancient cultures. For example, the central bronze plaque depicts a woman in classical garb spinning wool—the ancient Greek allegorical representation of Fate. The long marquetry panels of various inlaid woods on either side depict ancient Roman bronze oil lamps. This eclectic combination of artistic sources is typical of late nineteenth-century objects and was considered a sign of erudition on the part of the designer and the consumer who purchased the object.

MANUFACTURERS (of piano works) Martins & Son, United States, New York, active 1846–ca. 1895; (of piano case) Pottier & Stymus Manufacturing Company, United States, New York, active ca. 1859–1910

MEDIUM Rosewood, walnut

DATES ca. 1870

DIMENSIONS 57 × 80 × 30 in., 662 lb. (144.8 × 203.2 × 76.2 cm, 300.28kg) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 61.231

CREDIT LINE Gift of Mrs. Ray Blatt and Joseph Blatt

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION (of piano works) Martins & Son (United States, New York, active 1846–ca. 1895). Pianoforte, ca. 1870. Rosewood, walnut, 57 × 80 × 30 in., 662 lb. (144.8 × 203.2 × 76.2 cm, 300.28kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Ray Blatt and Joseph Blatt, 61.231. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 61.231_acetate_bw.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 61.231_acetate_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.