Description

Ornately Carved

Renaissance style, Gebruder Knake upright piano for sale with an ornately carved, oak case. Entire cabinet carved with arabesque style, flowers and foliage in high relief. The central front panel features a carved lyre. The front side panels are individual in design. The left depicts an intertwined, arabesque grape vine. The right features flowers and foliage. The piano cheek, again highly carved with stylised foliage is adorned with a rosette flourish of carved oak leaves. Seated dragons recline at the base of the Classical columnar, piano legs, their tails wrapped around the base. Gothic tracery, fleurons and pointed arches also feature strongly in the cabinet architecture. Gothic inspired carved strapwork borders the piano edges and around the key escutcheon. The brasswork offers ornate embellishment. The candlesticks are held aloft by dragons with a circular sconce carved with foliage. The piano handles also feature ornate foliage and a simple brass ring.

Renaissance Style

Stylistically, the Renaissance is followed the Gothic style and both style periods are reflected within this piece. Renaissance furniture was influenced by the Classical World. The pieces had a strong architectural sense. Decoration consisted mostly of carved details created on the surface of the wood. Ornament was also inspired in mythological and historical themes. Some of the common motifs are strapwork, foliage, garlands, cornucopia and arabesques, and an Islamic form of decoration consisting of interlaced stylized leaves and flowers.

Gothic Style

The term Gothic is applied to architecture and cathedrals of the 12th century. Monumental Gothic cathedrals emerged as the embodiment of divine grandeur. Gothic architecture celebrates light bringing the spiritual forcefully and continuously to consciousness. Pointed arches, tracery and ornate decoration are typical of the style. Highly intricate surfaces, with a variety of patterns and mouldings depicting flowers, trefoils, pointed arches and spirals are represented.