Square Piano by Friederici, C

Kinsky (1910), based on the signature, identifies Christian Gottlob Friederici as the builder, stating that it was “apparently built shortly before his death (which occurred in January 1805)”, but corrected this in 1913: “…presumably by Christ. Ernst Wilhelm Friederici in Gera, the son of the famous piano maker Christ. Gottlob F. (1750–1805), whose firm’s mark is borne by the instrument. This attractive instrument displays typical Biedermeier features...” It is, however, unlikely that the son would still have been using his father’s signature some 15 years after the latter’s death; it is more likely that the genuine signature was subsequently transferred to an unsigned instrument. Furthermore, the instrument is said to have been crafted according to the ‘Reußer Fuß’ standard of 286.5 mm in use in Gera; however, this measurement does not add up anywhere, whereas the Saxon standard of 23.6 mm yields convincing results, suggesting that this was originally an unsigned Saxon instrument.

Credit: Uni Leipzig