Name/TitleBechstein ship’s piano
About this objectShip’s piano made by Bechstein in Berlin, Germany and one of only three known in the world still extant. The C. Bechstein piano factory was founded on 1 October 1853 by Carl Bechstein in Berlin, Germany. The only other two known examples are one in the Bechstein Shop in Berlin and one in the Royal Music Museum in Brussels, Belgium.
There were two examples sent to Melbourne in 1892 according to the Bill of Landings, but the other one has disappeared and is believed to have been broken up and lost.
The piano came from a ship traversing the Australian coast and has recently been completely rebuilt. After regulation and turning the piano is now in excellent condition and fully playable.
On loan from the Sydney Heritage Fleet Collection.
MakerCarl Bechstein - Maker
Maker RoleMaker
Date MadePost-1850s
Period19th century
Place MadeBerlin, Germany
Medium and MaterialsWood, ivory.
Object TypeGeneral Interest
Object numberSF001653
Copyright Licence
Attribution - Non-commercial - No Derivatives (cc)
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The mug is decorated with an underglaze and a blue transfer print. On the body, it is titled ‘Emigrants to Australia’. This type of body and glaze was discontinued by 1840. Comparison of the handle shape and the profile of the foot, point to the attribution of manufacture by the Davenport Factory.
Delta was a ship-rigged vessel with two decks and three masts. It was built in Dordrecht, Netherlands in 1839 at the shipyard of Jan Schouten and registered in the same port. Its hull was constructed of oak and sheathed in ‘yellow metal’. Delta was owned by H. van der Sande at the time of its loss and was engaged as a cargo trader.
The Delta carried 29 crew and passengers, while sailing from Melbourne to Batavia in ballast when wrecked at Kenn Reefs on 30 May 1854 whilst under the command of Captain J.G. Kunst. This vessel loss supports the pattern of shipwrecks located on a well-travelled shipping route that was poorly charted until the mid-nineteenth century. The crew of the Delta could see four other shipwrecks at Kenn Reefs at the time of their vessel’s loss.
Important image of a ship associated with Matthew Flinders, that would shortly become one of the most famous early shipwrecks in eastern Australian waters. This is a fine ship’s portrait, by one of the great exponents of the art