WELTE-MIGNON (Freiburg im Breisgau), circa 1905-1908.... Lot 28

WELTE-MIGNON (Freiburg im Breisgau), circa 1905-1908. Welte Kabinet-type player piano. Carved wood, blackened wood veneer and brass applications. Glazed parts. H_148.5 cm W_169 cm D_74 cm. Provenance: Hôtel Lutetia, Paris. For decades, this piano graced the entrance to the Lutetia, near the Conciergerie. It is sold by designation and will be delivered to our furniture repository in Nevers. We are enclosing around eighty rolls of sheet music for player pianos, in their cases. The development of the Mignon piano by Welte of Freiburg and its appearance on the market was a revolution. This was the first player piano to work with sheet music rolls, enabling identical replaying of classical pieces recorded by the greatest musicians of the day in the studio. A similar piano is preserved in the collections of Wien's Technisches Museum, and another is reproduced on an advertisement from the company's time. Sold by appointment, this piece of furniture will be delivered to our furniture repository in Nevers.