Lark Mason Associates to Offer Historic 1897 Steinway Grand Piano with Ties to Evelyn Nesbit and Isaac D. Fletcher on iGavelAuctions.com
New York, NY — Lark Mason Associates is pleased to announce the upcoming sale of a rare and historically significant Steinway Model A Grand Piano, painted by landscape and decorative arts artist Arthur Edward Blackmore and reputed to have once belonged to the famed model and actress Evelyn Nesbit. With an estimate of $30,000-50,000, online bidding starts May 1st and runs through May 15th on iGavelAuctions.com.
Crafted in 1897 by Steinway & Sons in New York (serial number 88495), this richly painted mahogany piano was decorated in a “French Renaissance” style by Arthur Edward Blackmore (1854–1921), who signed and dated the painted panel at the end of the lid. Commissioned by the prominent industrialist and art collector Isaac D. Fletcher, the piano was purchased directly from Steinway for his newly built mansion at the corner of East 79th Street and Fifth Avenue—the Harry F. Sinclair House, now home to the Ukrainian Institute of America.
Following Fletcher’s death in 1917, his mansion and art collection were bequeathed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in 1918 the contents of the home were sold at auction. The piano, listed as Lot 222 in the American Art Galleries sale held January 25–26, was described in a double-page illustrated entry as:
“Specially designed case, Style A; made in rich polished mahogany, with elaborate decorations in color and gilding. Has square front legs and carved lyre. The front panel bears a painted ribbon scroll with the quotation, ‘As may the strains through my ear dissolve me into ecstacies [sic].’ The painting includes trophy and floral panels with scrollwork, signed by Arthur E. Blackmore and dated 1898.”
While documented provenance ends with this 1918 auction, by repute the piano was subsequently owned by Evelyn Nesbit (1884/85–1967)—the original “Gibson Girl,” stage and film actress, and central figure in the infamous scandal involving architect Stanford White and her husband Harry K. Thaw. Though no primary documentation exists confirming her ownership, the piano was marketed as hers when sold to prominent Albany businessman John Desmond, in the late 1980s. Desmond, owner of The Desmond Hotel in Albany, New York, installed the instrument as a decorative showpiece in the hotel’s signature restaurant, The Scrimshaw, citing its unique artistry and cultural history.
Upon the hotel’s later sale to the Crowne Plaza group, the piano was transferred to the current owner, who now offers it for auction through Lark Mason Associates. Several contemporary testimonials referencing Nesbit’s purported ownership accompany the piano.
“This exceptional instrument is not only a finely crafted Steinway but a unique artifact that touches upon the intertwined worlds of art, music, celebrity, and Gilded Age New York,” says Lark Mason, founder of iGavelAuctions and Lark Mason Associates. “Its rich provenance—from Isaac Fletcher’s Fifth Avenue mansion to The Desmond Hotel—makes it an extraordinary opportunity for collectors of decorative arts and Americana.”
To view the piano, located in iGavel’s New York showroom, 229 East 120th Street, call (212) 289-5524 or email [email protected]
