Images(3)

Grand Piano

Date1816

Artist/Maker William Stodart

MediumRosewood: exterior veneer; Mahogany: action brackets, hammer rail, music desk; Plain light hardwoods: inner rim veneer, pin block and damper overrail veneer, molded key fronts, nut, bridge; Oak: case substrate, upper belly rail, key-frame front and balance rails; Softwoods: bottom, lower belly rail, key bed, damper overrail substrate; Spruce: soundboard; Limewood: key levers; Fruitwood: damper jacks; Ebony: sharps; Ivory: natural key tops; Leather: hammer covers, back-check pads, jack register cover, butt pads; Iron: tuning pins, pedal trapwork, gap spacer arcs; Brass: lid hooks, lid hook rings, lid hinges, bottom molding, corner moldings, case and lid inlays, bosses above legs, leg rings, leg ferrules, leg casters, lid screw knob heads, hammer-rail cover plates

DimensionsNet dimensions exclude lid, stand and projecting moldings. All dimensions in mm except where noted. Length: 2,290 mm (net 2,261 mm); Width: 1,131 mm (net 1,111 mm); Height: 919 mm (net 296 mm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Irene Bernard Hilliard

Object number2000-67

DescriptionCASE DECORATION: The case has an exterior veneer of rosewood panels, brass stringing, and rosewood crossbanding, with brass buhl work flowerets and flordeli in the corners of the panels. The bass molding is plain rectangular-section with a center line of brass stringing. A cast brass acanthus molding surrounds the case above the bottom molding. Cast brass astragal moldings occur at vertical corners. There are cast brass lid hooks with exterior leafy rings with serpents wrapped around them and a face of Medusa (?) above and a human face with animal ears (possibly Pan) below. The top of the mahogany lid is similarly veneered with two panels and crossbanding of rosewood. It has unfigured mahogany on the underside. The edge of the lid is capped with vertical-grain rosewood. A drop molding surrounds the lower perimeter of the lid, excluding the spine side. The inner rim and damper rail are veneered with maple or sycamore and two horizontal lines of black-stained stringing.
KEYWELL: The keywell is veneered with rosewood and no crossbanding. It is richly decorated with brass inlays of stylized and symmetrical foliation and straight and scrolled stringing. The nameboard inscription is in gold calligriphy. Two decorative cast nameboard screws have iron shanks. The end blocks have a line of stringing with longitudinal rosewood veneer one side and crossbanded rosewood veneer on the other. One inlayed brass floweret appears in the side corner of each. The keyslip is a single brass line of stringing with horizontal rosewood veneer below and crossbanded rosewood above.
LID: The lid is decorated in a manner similar to the case exterior. It is in three sections, including a wide and narrower flap all hinged together. The three main lid hinges have a gothic arch outline and are attached to the underside of the lid.
STAND AND PEDALS: The four tapered and reeded turned legs have three brass collars and cast brass foliate caster cups and casters. The legs screw into two heavy cleats, with exposed ends veneered with rosewood with a recessed center panel and a cast brass boss with oak leaf and acorn design.
The two pedal columns are similarly decorated but with only one brass ring and without casters. Each has a single stained mahogany (?) pedal.
INTERNAL NOTES: The original sliding adjustable music desk survives.
COMPASS: CC–c4
OCTAVES: 6 oct.
STOPS: There are two pedals, for keyboard shift and for dampers. A hand stop in the right end block limits keyboard shift for una corda or due corde.

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Grand piano constructed of oak with rosewood veneer and brass mounts, inlay, and stringing. Soundboard is white pine. Veneered nameboard is inscribed "William Stodart/Maker to their Majesties & Royal Family/Golden Square, London," and also includes decorative brass inlay. The case of the instrument is supported by four turned, reeded tapered legs, terminating in brass castors. The two pedal columns (una cord & sustaining) are similar in shape to the legs. All hammers are present and made of wood and leather; strings have been replaced. Compass of the instrument is six octaves, CC-c4. The cover is fastened in place by means of three ornate cast circular brass handles on the bentside and cheek of the piano.
Inscribed"William Stodart, / Maker to their Majesties & Royal Family, / Golden Square, London" in gold calligraphy on nameboard
Markings• "1672" in ink on top of pin block near cheekpiece and nut
• "1672" in pencil on bottom underside
• "Stephens N 71 / July 10th 1816 / GB [?]36 No 1672" in pencil on back of nameboard, readable only under infra-red examination
• "[illegable]" in ink on key 1
• "[illegable]" in ink on key 2
• "A. Reid" stamped on top of right keyboard bracket
• "Eiloart / No. 30" in pencil on underside of right candle stand of music desk
• "G B" stamped into endgrain of two tenons visible on underside of front leg-mounting cleat

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Written on reverse of nameboard: "Stephens No 71/July 10th 1816/DB 536 No 1672"

ProvenanceOriginally owned by Thomas Rutherfoord of Richmond, VA; remained in family until 2000 when it was given to CWF by descendent Irene Bernard Hilliard

The piano was purchased by Thomas Rutherfoord (1766-1852), a wealthy Richmond, Virginia, merchant, for his daughter, Jane Rutherfoord Meade (1795-1839), most probably from Adam Stodart, a Richmond musical instrument dealer, and a relative of the maker of the piano. Adam Stodart is known to have imported pianos made by his London relatives, William and Matthew Stodart.

Jane Rutherfoord Meade gave the piano to her niece, Frances "Fanny" Rutherfoord Bernard, who gave it to her daughter, Janet Bernard Madison, who gave it to her niece, Irene Bernard Hilliard, donor of the piano. Mrs. Hilliard is a first cousin once removed of Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, the son of Mrs. Hilliard's great-aunt, Letitia Moore Goodwin.

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