On a recent trip to Kawau Island, I visited Mansion House, the former home of Governor Sir George Grey. There are two pianos in the building, one in the drawing room and the other in the nursery area.
The piano in the drawing room is a Wagner and Co piano from London. There is very little information concerning this piano online. The information on the sign states that the company was formed in 1825. (I think) It is a very rare square piano from the 1860s. The wood is rosewood and walnut and according to one website where someone is restoring a piano made by J. J. Wagner, a small firm that was based in Hamburg, it has carved filigree work reminiscent of the Empire Revival style. The Empire Revival style takes its name from the rule of Emperor Napoleon 1 in the First French Empire. The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most famous examples of Empire architecture, it was commissioned in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz by Napoleon. The Empire Revival style represents the second phase of Neo-Classicism.
The piano was donated by Loius Wintle, along with other items to the Hauraki Maritime Park Board during the restoration project of Mansion House. The Mangawhai Museum hold a photo of Mr Wintle sitting on the piano stool next to the piano.
John Broadwood square piano
A square piano has horizontal strings arranged diagonally across the rectangular case above the hammers and with the keyboard set in the long side. By the 1830s, square grand pianos were common, and with innovations were able to produce larger sounds and had higher string tensions. In England and France the last square pianos were made about 1866. By then the modern style of compact uprights had become more popular for smaller rooms.
In the nursery there is an upright piano made by H. Kriebel of Berlin. I do not know how old this piano is however there are a number of newspaper articles on the PapersPast website where these pianos are being sold. According to one website, the Kriebel piano ceased to be be produced in Berlin in 1934.
Lyttelton Times 20th September 1879
Notice in the advertisement below, the H. Kriebel piano is shown as one of the highlights of the sale of a house lot of furniture. It states that it is a ‘superb piano, full trichord, sweet sympathetic tone, 7 octaves, prize metal, grand power, matchless in action and touch.
Lyttelton Times 21st December 1887.
Another advertisement from the Lyttelton times 12th July 1890.
Lyttelton Times 12th July 1890
Otago Daily Times 15th December 1922