.jpg?w=1)
拍品專文
In May 1980, when last sold at auction, this magnificent piano was offered with the accompanying note that, "according to tradition, it was made for Maria Pia, Queen of Portugal, wife of King Luis I and daughter of Victor-Emmanuel II, King of Italy". Whilst it has not been possible to confirm this provenance irrefutably, the presence of an inventory label to the underside of the case bearing the arms and initial of Queen Amélie, wife of Maria Pia's son, King Carlos I, would suggest it to be indeed the case.
Born in 1847, the fifth child of Victor-Emmanuel II and Adelheid, Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Maria Pia of Savoy married Luis I in 1862, becoming Queen of Portugal and the Algarves. By all accounts, she was a beautiful and generous woman, but also one of fearsome temperament who, on the afternoon of one of Portugal's many military coups, is reputed to have confronted the terrible Duke of Saldanha with the words: 'Marshal, if I were a man, I should have you shot'. On the death of Luis I in 1889, Carlos I became king and his wife, Princess Amélie d'Orléans, became Portugal's last queen. The first decade of the twentieth century were cataclysmic years for the royal family and particularly tragic for Amélie. In 1908 she witnessed the assassination of her husband and son and heir, Luis Felipe, as they rode in an open carriage through the streets of Lisbon. Two years later, she was forced into exile when the Portugese republic was declared. Initially taking refuge in England, where she served in the Red Cross during the Great War, she moved back to her native France in 1922 and occupied her ancestral home, château de Bellevue, Chesnay, until her death in 1951.
The quality of cabinetwork and, in particular, the supremely fine ormolu mounts embellishing the case of this piano, suggest the work of the celebrated Parisian ébéniste, Henry Dasson. From his workshops on the rue Vieille-du-Temple, Dasson supplied furniture and objects to an international clientele, among whom were European royals and aristocracy, and exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1878, the year of this piano's manufacture. The attribution is strengthened further by the existence of other Erard pianos with cases signed by Dasson and featuring identical legs to those on the present example (see Christie's London, 20 March 2003, lot 164).
The Spanish painter Juan Antonio González was a pupil of Ramón Rodriguez in Cadiz, before moving with him to Paris in 1863 and entering the studio of Isidore Pils. He was a great admirer of Meissonier and became a master genre painter, exhibiting and winning medals in Paris, Madrid and Cadiz. Scenes of gatherings in formal château gardens, as incorporated to stunning effect in the decoration of this piano, seem to have been one of the artist's favourite themes. A substantially smaller canvas by González, entitled The Duel and featuring a similar garden setting, was sold Sotheby's New York, 29 October 2002, lot 80 ($71,700).
Born in 1847, the fifth child of Victor-Emmanuel II and Adelheid, Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Austria, Maria Pia of Savoy married Luis I in 1862, becoming Queen of Portugal and the Algarves. By all accounts, she was a beautiful and generous woman, but also one of fearsome temperament who, on the afternoon of one of Portugal's many military coups, is reputed to have confronted the terrible Duke of Saldanha with the words: 'Marshal, if I were a man, I should have you shot'. On the death of Luis I in 1889, Carlos I became king and his wife, Princess Amélie d'Orléans, became Portugal's last queen. The first decade of the twentieth century were cataclysmic years for the royal family and particularly tragic for Amélie. In 1908 she witnessed the assassination of her husband and son and heir, Luis Felipe, as they rode in an open carriage through the streets of Lisbon. Two years later, she was forced into exile when the Portugese republic was declared. Initially taking refuge in England, where she served in the Red Cross during the Great War, she moved back to her native France in 1922 and occupied her ancestral home, château de Bellevue, Chesnay, until her death in 1951.
The quality of cabinetwork and, in particular, the supremely fine ormolu mounts embellishing the case of this piano, suggest the work of the celebrated Parisian ébéniste, Henry Dasson. From his workshops on the rue Vieille-du-Temple, Dasson supplied furniture and objects to an international clientele, among whom were European royals and aristocracy, and exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1878, the year of this piano's manufacture. The attribution is strengthened further by the existence of other Erard pianos with cases signed by Dasson and featuring identical legs to those on the present example (see Christie's London, 20 March 2003, lot 164).
The Spanish painter Juan Antonio González was a pupil of Ramón Rodriguez in Cadiz, before moving with him to Paris in 1863 and entering the studio of Isidore Pils. He was a great admirer of Meissonier and became a master genre painter, exhibiting and winning medals in Paris, Madrid and Cadiz. Scenes of gatherings in formal château gardens, as incorporated to stunning effect in the decoration of this piano, seem to have been one of the artist's favourite themes. A substantially smaller canvas by González, entitled The Duel and featuring a similar garden setting, was sold Sotheby's New York, 29 October 2002, lot 80 ($71,700).