Christopher Ganer c. 1787

From about 1779 until around  179o, most of the square pianos by the very successful maker Christopher Ganer looked very much like this, with the beautifully inlaid 'swooping garland' nameboard.  Until 1785, they had 'Latinised' inscriptions incuding the date, but after that it was all in English with no date, so establishing the exact date is not possible - Ganer's pianos had no serial numbers.  However, 'c. 1787' is not more than a couple of years out.  

Two handstops for damper lift and buff were standard.

This piano was carefully restored by David Hunt in 1992 and has been well cared for since then.  David's report and illustrations are still with the piano.

Note the string inlay on the underside of the lid - a mark of quality characteristic of Ganer's work.

 

The Estimate for this one is £1,000 - £1,500; deservedly it reached £2,100.

 

All pictures by, and by courtesy of, Gardiner Houlgate.

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© David Hackett