A large “Design” sale will take place at Chez Christie’s on Tuesday at the Rockefeller Center in New York. Among the objects put up for auction, a very rare Érard demi-grand piano, La Mort du Cygne, whose furniture is due to the cabinetmaker Louis Majorelle and to Victor Prouvé who signed the marquetry. This sumptuous instrument from 1903, in the typical style of the Nancy School, is estimated by Christie’s at between $200,000 and $300,000. The theme of the swan and its song was very popular at the end of the 19th century.e century (Baudelaire, Parsifal by Richard Wagner, etc.).
The piano offered for sale in New York was in the Garden Museum (a Private Collection) in Matsue, Japan. It was acquired in 2012 by a Californian.
Christie’s specifies: “This lot is one of only four La Mort du Cygne pianos whose existence is currently known; one is in the collection of the Virginia Fine Art Museum, another, commissioned by Eugène Corbin, is in the collection of the Museum of the School of Nancy and the third, unsigned, is not located. »
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A similar instrument for sale near London
Today we are able to reveal where the fourth piano is located. It is currently on sale at a dealer in (very beautiful) old pianos in Great Britain, the Pianoz house located in Maidenhead about thirty minutes from London. Pianoz specifies that this Érard is indeed not signed, but it is identical to the three others listed. It is for sale for £149,999. On his website (pianoz.com), the dealer gives exciting explanations: “Originally acquired by the family of a well-known French composer, Louis Vuillemin, this unsigned piano bears the mark of Louis Majorelle’s style and has discovered several years ago in London in very poor condition. The Vuillemins have a long history with making pianos and owned a large factory in the west of France, in fierce competition with the Érard house. This is why it is not easy to understand why they would have wanted to acquire an instrument from their rival. Final clarification from the UK seller: the piano has been fully restored and is now in perfect working order with a “rich tone and good touch”. In support, Pianoz has posted many photographs of the instrument on its site and even a video on demand.
Louis Majorelle (1859-1926), cabinetmaker, and Victor Prouvé (1858-1943), painter, sculptor and engraver, are two major figures of the School of Nancy (Art Nouveau). As for the Érard piano factory, which no longer exists, it was one of the most prestigious, founded in the 18e by the Strasbourg resident Sébastien Érard.
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