Around the turn of the twentieth century a period of prosperity inspired an interest in culture and the arts. As the only source of music in the home, the domestic importance of the piano was at its peak. At this time the wealthy commissioned bespoke, art cased pianos as visible status symbols to stand as centrepieces in a room. Technical innovation of the instrument had reached its maturity prompting a flourish in custom made, luxurious cases.
The breathtaking craftsmanship illustrated by these pianos reflect a climactic time in piano making and stand as monuments to the position of the piano in social history. By 1905, gramophone and disc recordings were available allowing the passive enjoyment of music.
"The Golden Age of Pianos" A collection of unique, art cased pianos from the height of European piano making. These breathtaking pianos have been sourced from across Europe to feature exclusively in this collection, each of artistic and cultural interest. Art cased pianos are pianos with beautifully designed cabinets. Sometimes designed by famous designers or architects. Often these pianos are representative of specific art periods such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Neoclassical, Empire style, Rococo, Louis XV, Regency style, Sheraton style, Adams style, Queen Anne, Chippendale... These art case pianos often represent the highest craftsmanship, whether it be exquisite, marquetry inlay, ornate, hand carved detail, intricate brass ormolu, or beautiful hand-painted decoration. Some of these art cased pianos are unique, with others only a limited number were made. The collection includes a unique Bechstein piano that stood next to The "Rheingold" Bechstein at the Berlin Trade Exhibition of 1896, an Art Nouveau Bechstein Model C inlaid with flowers and tendrils commissioned by Julius Gutermann, a wealthy victorian industrialist, a Broadwood designed by T G Jackson and made for Athelstan Riley's Music Gallery and other pianos designed for the Great Exhibitions.
This exclusive collection is situated at Besbrode Pianos in Leeds UK. Since 1979, Besbrode Pianos has been a specialist piano dealer and wholesaler based in Leeds, UK. Our extensive showrooms occupy three premises including four floors of a Victorian mill on the edge of Leeds city centre. This makes us one of the UK's largest retailers. We permanently display more than 250 new and pre-owned pianos from leading brands with an entire floor dedicated to the Steinway family of pianos. This impressive inventory offers pianists an unrivalled opportunity to play and compare pianos side by side. We are experts in packing and shipping and have been selling pianos individually and by wholesale across the globe for the last thirty years. Besbrode Pianos is specialist Steinway & Sons piano retailer.
For last twelve years Besbrode Pianos has been official partner to the Leeds International Piano Competition, providing pianos for the competitor's rehearsals. Our showrooms were featured in the BBC footage of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2012. BBC Footage: A brief history of the pianoforte - Leeds International Piano Competition 2012. Footage filmed at Besbrode Pianos Showroom. Our clients include pianists and piano lovers from around the world including Nikolai Demidenko, Joanna MacGregor, Arthur Pizarro, Noriko Ogawa, Jeremy Russell and Barry Douglas, who selected a brand new Steinway Model D Concert Grand from Steinway & Sons London showrooms, available for hire exclusively from Besbrode Pianos Leeds. Our hire pianos are regularly hired out by the regions leading music venues, churches and music organisations such as Leeds Town Hall, ABRSM, Royal College of Music and the Halle orchestra and have accompanied many famous stars such as Madonna, Tony Bennett and Dionne Warwick. We maintain an active interest in the region's art scene and regularly hold musical events in support many national and local charities including Kidney research fund, Friends of University Art and Music, Marie Curie Care, Cancer research, Red Cross and Diabetes Uk.
Besbrode Pianos has transported a unique range of pianos from across Europe to feature exclusively in The Golden Age of Pianos collection, each of artistic and cultural interest
Unique, 1899 Bluthner grand piano with a rosewood case. Cabinet decorated with Art Nouveau and Empire style elements. It was showcased at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Piano originally the property of King George V, residing at the Ballroom in Malborough House.
Rebuilt 1881, Steinway & Sons Model D concert grand piano with a burr walnut case, filigree music desk and fluted, barrel legs
A 1918, Soren Jensen grand piano for sale with a maple case, ornately carved music desk and bronze nude, caryatid legs. Cabinet features hand-painted ovals by Danish artist Gudmund Hentze.
The 'Richard Strauss', Ibach Grand Piano with a Chequered, Cherry Case and Gate Legs with Black Spindles. Designed by Emanuel von Seidl. One of Two Made For Richard Strauss
An 1899, Chinese Chippendale style, Schiedmayer grand piano for sale with a stunning, flame mahogany case and Malborough legs with applied fret carvings. Cabinet features oriental scenes in embossed Japanning with gilt ornament.
Empire style, 1901, Ibach model 2 grand piano for sale with a mahogany case and gate legs. Entire cabinet decorated with ormolu mounts depicting scenes of greek gods, goddesses and wreaths.
A 1904, Rococo Style, Steinway Model B grand piano for sale with an ornately carved, case with gilt accents and scroll foot cabriole legs. Entire cabinet features exquisite hand-painted scenes in fete galante style.
Rebuilt, 1874, Steinway & Sons Centennial concert grand piano for sale with a rosewood case, filigree music desk and ornately carved, reverse scroll legs. Cabinet features Rococo styling.
An Arts and Crafts, Lipp grand piano with a mahogany case inlaid with geometric designs from Germanic folklore. Case features ornately stamped, brass hinges and a slatted cross stretcher. Piano is restored.
An 1893, Pleyel grand piano beautifully hand-painted with a fairies, satyrs, nudes, monkeys, mythical creatures, birds, flowers and crested composers names. Signed by G. Meunier. Piano case sits on ornately carved french walnut frame, carved with foliage and flowers. Piano has six cabriole legs with scroll feet.
A rebuilt, 1886, Steinway & Sons Model D concert grand piano with a rosewood case, filigree music desk and 'Grecian urn style' turned, fluted legs.
Renaissance style, Biese Hof upright piano for sale with an ornately carved, mahogany case and barley sugar legs
German Late Renaissance style, 1896, Pfaffe upright piano for sale with a walnut case, mock roll top piano fall and barley twist legs. Cabinet features an openwork panel that acts as a sound box. Entire cabinet covered with ornate carvings of anthemions, shells, acanthus, strapwork and flowers. Piano is unique and was exibited in the German Industrial and Art Fair in Berlin 1896.
Renaissance style, Gebruder Knake upright piano for sale with an ornately carved, oak case. Entire cabinet carved with arabesque style, flowers and foliage in high relief. Seated dragons recline at the base of the Classical columnar, piano legs. Gothic tracery and arches also feature strongly the cabinet architecture.
An 1895, English Gothic style, Ibach upright piano with a carved, oak case and ornate brass candlesticks and handles. Cabinet features traditional folk art motif carvings. Pilasters carved with hearts and stylised trees. Piano cheeks feature a carved sun in a half hex and stylised bird in flight. Front, side and profile panels are inlaid with folk elements including trinity tulips in an urn symbolising faith, hope and charity and stylised foliage and swags. Piano comes with a matching, duet piano stool with ornate brass studs
Rococo style, Francke upright piano for sale with a carved, mahogany case and reverse scroll legs. Entire cabinet features ornate carvings of scrolling acanthus, flowers, foliage and rocailles. Asymmetrical arcading crowns the cabinet with carved shells, flowers and foliage.
Art-Deco style, 1932, Steinway Model M grand piano for sale with a crossbanded, maple and coromandel case. Cabinet features strong geometric styling.
A 1945, Steinway 'Victory Vertical' G.I. upright piano for sale with an olive drab case. This upright was airdropped onto battlefields during WWII for the American troops
A 1916, German Arts and Crafts, Ibach grand piano with a mahogany case and minimal carved panel detail. One of four ever made. Designed by a Dutch architect, Theodorus Joannes Josephus Cuypers
Georg Fortner upright piano with an ornately carved, mahogany case and candlesticks in a foliar design. Cabinet features carved flowers, foliage, musical instruments in high relief. Grotesque heads adorn each piano cheek. Carvings by Julius Bechler, an appointed wood artist for King Ludwig II
Rebuilt, 1900 Steinway Model A grand piano with a walnut case, filigree music desk and fluted, barrel legs with gadrooning detail. Piano has an eighty-five note keyboard and a two-pedal lyre.
Antique, 1884, Steinway upright piano for sale with a burr walnut case and brass candlesticks Piano has an eighty-five note keyboard and two pedals.
Arts and Crafts style, 1905, Steinway upright piano for sale with a figured, mahogany case and large sculptural legs. Cabinet features a music desk in a three arch design with cut-out inverted hearts backed with red felt.
An 1897, Arts and Crafts style, Bechstein upright piano with a mahogany case, fretwork panels and ornate brass hinges in a stylised floral design
An 1898, Arts and Crafts style, Bechstein upright piano with a walnut case and ornate fretwork panel cut in a sinuous floral design. Cabinet features sizeable, brass hinges and large sculptural candlesticks. Designed by Walter Cave.
A 1905, Brinsmead upright piano with a central panel featuring a crystoleum of a Classical scene
Restored, 1878, Steinway Model A grand piano for sale with an exquisite, rosewood case and spade legs
An 1898, Steinway Model A grand piano for sale with a fiddleback mahogany case and barrel legs
A 1905, Steinway Model O grand piano for sale with a quartered, kingwood case and spade legs
A 1912, Weber upright piano for sale with a flame mahogany case and turned, fluted legs. Cabinet inlaid with a stylised, Neoclassical design featuring geometric forms in a variety of woods.
A German upright piano with a Neoclassical style, carved walnut case and cup and cover legs. Cabinet features ornately carved pilasters in high reief and copper sconces in a sea monster design
Albert Gast upright piano for sale with a quartered, walnut case and ornate, brass candlesticks. Entire cabinet inlaid in Neoclassical designs featuring scrolling acanthus, urns and flowers
An 1893, Pleyel upright piano with a satinwood case, brass candlesicks and fluted, column legs. Entire cabinet features intricate, Neocalssical style inlay of scrolling acanthus, flowers and foliage in a variety of woods.
A 1906 Steinway Model O grand piano with a stunning, satinwood case and gate legs. Entire cabinet inlaid with boxwood stringing and crossbanding accents.
Reconditioned, 1906, Steinway Model B grand piano for sale with a satinwood case and gate legs. Entire cabinet inlaid with boxwood stringing accents
Rebuilt, Schiedmayer grand piano for sale with a burr walnut case and turned, faceted legs. Filigree music desk features a cut-out floral design. Sinuous piano cheek features carved acanthus,scrolls and double case moulding in high relief
Beuloff grand piano for sale with a cream case with cabriole legs. Entire cabinet hand-painted in Empire style motifs including wreaths, vases, winged putti, lyres, rinceaux, swags and flowers
Reconditioned, 1894, Broadwood grand piano with a fiddleback mahogany case and tapered fluted legs attached with a cross stretcher. Cabinet inlaid with oval panels featuring muical instruments and foliage and flowers and satinwood crossbanding and stringing accents
An 1879, Steinway Model A grand piano for sale with a black case, filigree music desk and carved, turned legs. Sinuous piano cheek features a carvette palmette and dual linear case moulding.
A rebuilt, 1877, Steinway Style 1 grand piano for sale with a french polished, rosewood case. Cabinet features carved, Rococo styling and scroll foot legs.
A unique, 1895, Bechstein Model C grand piano with an ornately carved, walnut case. Cabinet features carvings of two swans on the water on piano cheeks. Twisted around the rear piano leg is a two-headed serpent dragon. Intricate brass hinges and name plate. Design based on themes found in Richard Wagner's great Ring Cycle works.
A 1907, Bechstein Model E grand piano with a fiddleback mahogany case with satinwood and boxwood stringing inlay. Corinthian style turned, fluted gate legs carved with acanthus leaf detail. Stamped with Trollope & Colls Ltd.
An 1891, Broadwood grand piano with an intricately inlaid case. Designed by T G Jackson and inlaid by C H Bessant Faber. Inlaid with satinwood, ebony, tortoiseshell and mother of pearl in a design of scrolling foliage, inlaid pelter shields inscribed with 6 musical part-scores. Stand is american walnut with triplet pillars and carved scrolls.
A 1910, Bluthner grand piano in Jacaranda with intricate, marquetry inlay all over case in a variety of designs and woods. Case shows tessellated marquetry panels in walnut, ebony, mahogany, fiddleback mahogany and boxwood. This Bluthner model was on display at the Brussels 1910 World Fair and features in the Exhibition catalogue.
A 1910, Rococo style, Steinway Model B grand piano with a gold case. Cabinet features hand paintings of cherubs and rural scenes of couples in courtship in fête galante style. Piano has gate legs with four, ornately carved Corinthian pillars. Music desk has a beautiful scrolling filligree design with a central hand-painted plaque.
The Breadalbane, 1869, Collard and Collard grand piano with an ornately carved, walnut case. Cabinet features heraldic imagery from the Campbell Clan alongside Neo-classical motifs.
A 1902, Art Nouveau style, Bechstein Model C grand piano with an inlaid mahogany case. Cabinet inlaid with flowers, leaves and sinuous tendrils a variety of woods. This piano was commissioned by Julius Gutermann, a wealthy victorian industrialist.
A Biedermeier style, 1926, Steinway Model M grand piano with a french polished, mahogany case, stringing inlay and five baluster legs. The piano has high cheeks with a folding lid with the appearance of a square piano from a front view. Design based on the first piano made by Heinrich Steinweg in 1836.
An 1883, Neoclassical style, Bechstein Model C grand piano with a contrasting pear and ebony case. Entire cabinet features ornately carved arabesques, fleur de lys, scrolls and anthemions. High-relief carvings of female figureheads surround the entire case. The legs, shaped like Grecian vases, feature lions heads sitting at the pediment.
A stunning, 1877, Steinway & Sons Model D concert grand piano with an exquisite wood case and reverse scroll legs. Cabinet features piano cheeks carved with scrolling foliage. Piano has an eighty-eight note keyboard and a two-pedal lyre.
Art cased pianos have beautifully designed cabinets, sometimes designed by famous designers or architects. Often these pianos are representative of specific art periods such as Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Neoclassical, Empire style, Rococo, Louis XV, Regency style, Sheraton style, Adams style, Queen Anne, Chippendale... These art case pianos often represent the highest craftsmanship, whether it be exquisite, marquetry inlay, ornate, hand carved detail, intricate brass ormolu, or beautiful hand-painted decoration. Some of these art cased pianos are unique, with others only a limited number were made. These pianos were often commissioned by the wealthy to stand as a centrepiece in the room.
This collection showcases modern, art cased pianos from the 20th century.
Rococo style, 1979, Steinway Model O grand piano for sale with an off-white case and ornately carved, cabriole legs. Entire cabinet features carvings accented with gilt detail.
Crown Jewels, 1991, Steinway Model S baby grand piano with a yew case and spade legs. Piano has an eighty-eight note keyboard and a three-pedal lyre.
A 1936, Art Deco style, Chappell baby grand piano for sale with a quilted maple case. Cabinet features sculptural piano legs attached to a cross stretcher. Piano pedals integrated into cross stretcher.
A 1959, Rippen grand piano with a contrasting cherry polyester and painted aluminium case. This Rippen piano has a beautiful slimline outline and minimal openwork music desk. Piano features a reverse crown soundboard and tapered legs.
A 1950s style, Zimmermann baby grand piano with a yellow formica case, asymmetrical music desk, geometric legs and tubular steel piano lyre
Mid Century Modern style, 1956, Monington and Weston upright piano with a contrasting, mahogany and macassar ebony case.
Brutalist style, Gerhard Adams upright piano with a polished, oak case. The Brutalist style is seen in the aggressive, arrogant lines and modular planes constucting the piano cabinet. There is a simplification of form and absence of decoration
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All Piano Enquiries Call
+44 (0) 113 2448344
info@besbrodepianos.com
Unit A, Holbeck New Mills,
Braithwaite Street,
Leeds
LS119XE
- 10 - 4 Monday
- 10 - 4 Tuesday
- 10 - 4 Wednesday
- 10 - 4 Thursday
(Wholesale only)- 10 - 4 Friday
- 10 - 4 Saturday
- Sunday by appointment
Company Registered Number: 4322557
VAT Number: 789516764
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