private collection
Morning Glory Piano
In 1988 Steinway and Sone contacted me about making an art case for one of their pianos. I chose to do a Model L which iOS the mid-size grand.
I wanted the marquetry to run around the rim of the piano. I chose a floral pattern and. Putting marquetry on the top was somewhat problematic as sometimes the top is all the way down and not easily seen. Sometimes a flap is flipped over and would obscure the design. A vine with flowers seemed ideal and I chose morning glories.
The marquetry was cut in a long frieze with panels about two feet long. I took this taped up marquetry to the factory in New York and watched as it was glued on to a raw rim. After curing the rim then went through the factory and had the “guts” installed. This carcase was then shipped to me and fitted the legs and other component parts. Then everything went back to the factory for finishing and installing the piano mechanism.
The primary wood is walnut burl and the background to the marquetry is laurel burl. The border stringing is holly.