Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-0

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-1

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-2

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-3

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-4

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-5

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-6

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-7

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-8

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-9

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-10

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-11

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-12

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-13

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-14

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-15

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II-16

Style Louis XV / Ref.11462

Steinway & Sons – Th. Kammerer (Cuel & cie), A Concert Grand Piano (unique piece) which belonged to Cornelius Vanderbilt II

Dimensions
Width 108'' ¼  275cm
Height 42'' ⅞  109cm
Depth: 61''   155cm

Origin:
Europe, 19th century

Status:
In perfect condition and tuned.

Giltwood and painted wood
H. 109 cm / 42'' 5/16 ; L. 155 cm / 61'' ; P. 275 cm / 125'' 3/8
Paris, circa 1894
Provenance : Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Flora Whitney Miller

This extraordinary concert grand piano with 88 keys was made by the prestigious firm Steinway & Sons around 1894. The case's decoration was entrusted to the company Cuel & Cie and more precisely to Th. Kammerer.
The order came from one of the richest families in the history of the United States of America : the Vanderbilts. The instrument was indeed produced in Europe before being sent to New York at the behest of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the grandson of the famous captain of industry Cornelius Vanderbilt who left a colossal fortune to his children. The instrument was displayed in the Grand Salon the famous Vanderbilt Mansion, built in 1883 at the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street in New York City.
Made out of polychrome painted wood and giltwood, this concert grand piano has a rich decoration wich underlines and accentuates its forms. The ornamental vocabulary is very developed and abundant. The ornamentation covers the piano and hangs from its case. Its Louis XV style decoration perfectly fits in the Vanderbilt's baroque Grand Salon. This spectacular instrument astonishingly survived the 1927 demolition of the mansion and eventual sale of the opulent contents through generations of the family.

Follow this link to read our blog post dedicated to this spectacular concert grand piano.

Steinway & Sons and the Cuel Workshops

Founded in 1853 in New York by Henry E. Steinweg, Steinway & Sons quickly became the world's leading authority in piano manufacturing. Renowned for its technical innovations and numerous patents, the firm attracted the world's greatest virtuosos with the power and tonal richness of its instruments. Beyond technical excellence, Steinway also produced exceptional bespoke instruments for the most luxurious 19th-century interiors.

To decorate its most prestigious models, the firm frequently collaborated with renowned art workshops. One such example is Maison Cuel & Cie, led by Gilbert Cuel in Paris. A specialist in Louis XV and Louis XVI style interior decoration, Cuel supervised works of immense refinement. For this project, he commissioned the talent of Th. Kammerer, a decorative painter famed for his allegorical scenes and misty landscapes, to adorn the instrument with a decor worthy of Europe's grandest palaces.

A Masterpiece for Cornelius Vanderbilt II

This concert grand piano, a "New York D" model completed around 1894, is an absolutely unique piece created for Cornelius Vanderbilt II. The instrument was designed to harmonize perfectly with the Louis XV music room of his massive Fifth Avenue mansion in New York City. The entire piano case, including the structural woodwork, was first built and then shipped to Paris to Gilbert Cuel's workshop to receive its final decoration.

The instrument features numerous elaborate carvings, entirely highlighted in glittering gold. Th. Kammerer painted half a dozen panels of exquisite refinement. The scenes depict bright landscapes and allegorical compositions filled with cupids and minor goddesses, whimsically illustrating the themes of music and the arts.

This exceptional instrument miraculously survived the 1927 demolition of the Vanderbilt mansion and the subsequent sales of the family's collections. Its prestigious provenance, including Flora Whitney Miller, makes it not only a musical instrument of unparalleled quality but also a major historical record of the American Gilded Age's opulence.