Rare Art Nouveau Marquetry Inlaid Piano Paris 1900 Japonisme Style by A. Bord

Description

Remarkably uncommon antique inlaid upright piano, with marquetry applied in the art nouveau style.  The entire cabinet is decorated with flowers, including wisteria.  A few birds are also present, perched among the vines and in the bamboo growing on the sides.  This all reflects the Japonisme taste seen in a desirable subset of the art nouveau decorative arts.  Two original brass candelabra are still attached and the music rack cleverly folds up and stores inside the case, under the hinged lid.  The instrument was made by A. Bord in Paris, circa 1900.
This piano had been in storage for many years, when I found it in the collection of an antiques dealer outside Paris.  I bought the piano and had it shipped from France to Los Angeles, where the master craftsmen at Antiquarian Traders in Beverly Hills restored the beautiful French polish, as had originally been applied to this exceptional example of the cabinet maker's skill.  The rich colors and chatoyancy that resulted are much lovelier in person than are evident from the pictures I took with my phone.  A very small amount of wood was missing on the fall board, in one or two of the flower stems, and this was invisibly replaced at the same time.  The keys are all present and in excellent condition.
For those who wish to play this piano, rather than just enjoy it as a decorative piece, the inner piano mechanism will need some attention.  Everything is present, but needs some adjusting.  I have a college degree in piano performance and it is my impression that loose dampers are the main issue.  That is not a complicated or expensive repair.  I have not had the technician who maintains my other pianos give me his professional opinion, however, so I'm selling the piano as-is.  I intended to play this piano
and would not have purchased it, if I thought it could not be brought to good playing condition again.
I also
would not be selling it, if it hadn't been too large to fit up the stairs that lead to the second floor in my house!  (You might notice it's at the bottom of a stairway in my pictures...)
If you are the winning bidder, I want you to be thrilled with the purchase.  If you purchase this piano, I know you will be!  Due to its size, it will have to be sent via a trucking service.  I will secure the most affordable means of safe transit possible, unless you have a particular preference.  Local pickup is, of course, available to those in my region.
I only ship items via insured means, as eBay’s Buyer Protection policy ALWAYS returns your money, if anything is broken in transit.  If you receive an item that was damaged, please notify me ASAP.  Retain the item, as well as all packaging.  Please e-mail photographs that document damage to the item and show the packaging materials utilized for shipment.  If the shipping container shows evidence of mishandling, appropriate photos will also be helpful for facilitating quicker claim resolution.