An important automatic upright piano, known as a "Basstringue," from the early 20th century, operating via an interchangeable cylinder stamped with the maker's mark of the organ and piano makers "JB BLANCHE-PETIT and R. GOFFART." The piano we are offering is an "Orchestre 'La Victoire'" model, number 3424, registered in 1919.

This magnificent orchestral piano, veneered in carved wood, is engraved on each side with a fine gold border featuring a floral and arabesque motif in the early 20th-century Art Nouveau style. In its upper section, three glass panels reveal the soundboard and its strings, as well as the auxiliary instruments consisting of a snare drum, a triangle, and a wooden stop with two hammers. On each side are two ornate, chased bronze handles. The model rests on cabriole legs with C-shaped scrolls. On the left are a crank, a coin mechanism, a push button, and a dial allowing the selection of six different melodies. The body of the instrument has a glass panel in its lower section, revealing a poplar wood cylinder studded with thousands of pins. Each pin is meticulously hand-set into the cylinder, which acts as a musical score, allowing the 58 hammers to strike the strings and thus produce the desired melody. This true work of art gives our antique orchestral piano a unique historical and handcrafted character. Its curves and Art Nouveau style will bring exceptional charm to your interior.

This fabulous entertainment instrument emerged at the beginning of the 19th century and was very popular from the 1880s until the eve of World War II, thanks in particular to the introduction of popular music into the cylinder repertoire. Among the musical pieces were mazurkas, polkas, and waltzes. Originally, the piano was entirely mechanical and operated like a music box, using a crank that was turned continuously to set the pinned cylinder in motion. It was in 1902 that the Italian manufacturer Ottina y Pellandi of Novara developed a spiral spring motor which, once wound by hand and then activated by a coin, made the piano play automatically. JB BLANCHE & Goffart is a manufacturer of automatic pianos from the late 19th century located in Valenciennes at numbers 1 and 4 Avenue du Quesnoy, whose instruments are described in numerous advertisements and whose various models such as "Le Victoire" are registered at the Paris Commercial Court.

Dimensions of the piano with crank: W: 144 cm; D: 64.5 cm; 149 cm

Circa: 1919

Condition report : In good overall condition. The mechanism functions but needs to be adjusted for speed and tuned.