Square Piano by Does, C van der

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was mainly Austria, England, Germany and France that were leaders in piano building. The Netherlands played a less important role in it. Still there were about 25 builders who mainly made square pianos after English examples. Some of them like Meincke and Pieter Meyer, Joannes van Raay and Corneille Van der Does also made Pyramide and Giraffe pianos inspired by Viennese models. A very fine example of Van der Does craftmanship is a Luxurious giraffe piano in the Victoria & Albert museum in London. The square piano in the Chris Maene Collection is another example of Dutch piano building at its very best.

Provenance: donation from family Wouter Scheurwater ( restorer of historical keyboard instruments at the Gemeentemuseum of the Hague NL.)

Technical data:

• Inscription: Van der Does, te Amsterdam

• Compass: 5,5 octaves (FF-c''')

• Keyboard: naturals in ivory, sharps in ebony

• Pedals: 3 lute, swell (a lid to the right side of the cover is being raised through the pedal), damper

• Dimensions: W 158 cm / D 60 cm

• Case: ombination of mahogany, Maplewood and brass mouldings

• Chris Maene Collection number: CM 76 140

• Condition: restored around 1993 by Wouter Scheurwater

• Location: 3 - Museum headquarters "Piano's Maene" Ruiselede