Important automatic self-playing piano called "Bastringue", from the beginning of the XXth century, working with an interchangeable cylinder stamped by the organ and piano makers "J.B BLANCHE-PETIT et R. GOFFART". The piano we offer is a model "La Victoire Orchestra" n° 3424, registered in 1919.
This magnificent piano orchestra in carved wood veneer is engraved on each side with a fine gold border of floral and arabesque motifs in the Art Nouveau style of the early 20th century. At the top, three panes of glass reveal the soundboard and its strings, as well as the orchestra of ancillary instruments comprising a snare drum, a triangle and a wooden stop with two hammers. Two chased bronze handles are integrated on each side. The model ends on curved C-shaped legs. On the left, a crank, coin mechanism, push-button and dial offer a choice of 6 different melodies. The body of the instrument has a glass pane at the bottom, revealing a cylinder of poplar wood, lined with thousands of pins. Each pin is meticulously hand-planted into the cylinder, which acts as the score, allowing the 58 hammers to strike the strings and thus obtain the desired melody. This true artist's work gives our old orchestra piano a unique historical and artisanal character. Its curves and Art Nouveau allure will add an exceptional touch to your interior.
This fabulous entertainment instrument was born in the early 19th century, and was very much in vogue from the 1880s until the dawn of the Second World War, thanks in particular to the introduction of popular music into the musical repertoire of the cylinders. These included mazurkas, polkas and waltzes. Originally, the piano was entirely mechanical and operated like a music box, using a crank that was turned endlessly to trigger the rolling of the pinned cylinder. In 1902, Italian manufacturer Ottina & Pellandi of Novara perfected a spiral-spring motor which, when wound by hand and activated by a coin, causes the piano to play automatically. J.B BLANCHE & Goffart was a manufacturer of automatic pianos at the end of the 19th century, based in Valenciennes at n°1 and 4 Avenue du Quesnoy, whose instruments were described in numerous advertisements and whose various models, such as the "Victoire", were registered with the Paris Commercial Court.
Piano dimensions with crank: L: 144 cm; P: 64.5 cm; 149 cm (W.57 in x D.25.5 in x H.59 in)
Circa: 1919
Dim: L: 123,5cm, P: 64,5cm, H: 149cm.
Dim: W: 48,6in, D: 25,4in, H: 58,7in.
Condition report: In good general condition. Mechanism works but needs to be adjusted in speed and tuning.
- Reference :
- 3147
- Width :
- 124 (cm)
- Height :
- 149 (cm)
- Depth :
- 65 (cm)
- Period::
- 20th century
- Style ::
- Art nouveau
- Materials::
- Wood veneer
- Identifier Exists:
- False
