Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott (1865 - 1945)

oak, the doors fitted with wide iron hinges terminating in fleurs-de-lis, the interior fitted with iron and copper candle sconces, together with an associated stool, the upholstered seat lifting to reveal a storage compartment

A solid and attractive piece in good overall condition. Cabinet with some old marks and scratches. Minor chipping to edges under left cabinet door and right door facing with two long, shallow scratches which are visible in the catalogue illustration. Metal hardware with scraping, tarnishing and discolouration. Some light staining generally, including inside of piano lid as from a glass or vase. A few small pieces of moulding missing from interior. Fabric panels behind keyboard thoroughly worn and torn. Ivory keys with some minor scratching and natural cracking. Right-hand sconce lacking tip of base and screw attachment. Right-hand side panel with eye screw addition. Evidence of candle wax to sides of keyboard. One panel above pedals badly cracked and split. Movement neither tested nor guaranteed. The accompanying, but unassociated, bench fitted with a label reading "Liberty & Co. Ltd. London, W". Old marks and scratches and stains overall. Later upholstered. An imposing and useful group ready for display.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Writing in Country Life, Michael Wilson notes of the Manxman design created by Baillie Scott in 1896, 'nobody previously had tried to incorporate the keyboard within the actual piano case, instead of allowing it to jut out from the main body of the instrument and so distract the eye. Nor had anyone thought of using the top and projecting sides of the case as sounding-boards, in order to improve the acoustics. Moreover the candle-holders were now fixed to the sides of the case instead of to its face, which meant that the candles were sufficiently far outside the player's range of vision not to dazzle him, though not so far as to be a possible physical hazard, as in Cave's 1893 design' ('Updating the Ivories: The Piano Designs of Baillie Scott 1865-1945', 22 Jan 1976, pp. 198-99).

A similar piano was exhibited at the 1896 Arts and Crafts Exhibition, London, and was illustrated in the exhibition supplement of The Artist, vol. 18 (1896), p. 38. A drawing of the instrument, called a 'Cottage Piano', also appears in Baillie Scott's article, 'On the Choice of Simple Furniture', The Studio, vol. 10 (1897), p. 154, as shown below.