1986 John Masterman Dollhouse Miniature Masterpiece Piano in Perfect Scale OOAK

  
DESCRIPTION- This is by far the best 1:12th Scale miniature piano I've ever seen & this includes in some of the finest museums & collections in the world. Some of the photos if studied in a small size look just like a full sized piano, something not true of almost any other DH piano. See more about his pianos in the MAKER paragraph below. The book-matched burl veneers on the upper front board & side boards are simply stunning. The four hand carved floral rosettes inside burl circles are extremely well-carved. The strip of molding on the front of the key bed (lower strip on the front beneath the keys) which also wraps around each side is so delicately hand carved that it can't be fully appreciated without seeing it in person. The key slip (board above the key bed) is solid burl. Best of all, everything opens as it should. Above the key slip covering the keys is the fallboard which actually works just like a real one with hinges so you can keep it down or fold it all the way back over & then that entire part slides back into place where it locks smoothly. I literally can't believe this works the way it does as the measurement had to be perfect for this to work & stay in place in all three positions as well as the sliding distance before it is folded back. Once it's in that fully folded up position, there are two tiny brass pull knobs so you can put that back down if desired.

This reveals the wonderfully carved, placed, & painted keys. Above, the upper front board with the rosette in center is actually hinged to swing forward for access to the action.

Also, the top board is hinged & once opened, you can also access the action. When you open either, you see the action with wire strings, wooden hammers, pin block, tuning pins, & hammer rail all perfectly placed where they should be in a full sized piece. That top board molding is beautiful & the bending wonderful shape is reminiscent of a Greek key design.

On the bottom of the front of it is the same glorious hand carving that is on the key bed below & goes all the way around to the sides. But that's not all! Above the perfect foot pedals, is the lower front board which is also removable (by tilting the piano forward) & once it's off, you can see a beautiful metal frame attached to the soundboard, with its treble & bass bridge fully strung with hitch & tuning pins & best of all are the 2 pedal rods connected intricately to the pedals exactly as they should be. The legs are beautifully turned & there are half legs mounted flush to the wood behind them & above on each side. It's just amazing & belongs in a museum.

I paid a lot for it & if no one buys it, I don't mind keeping it at all. I just love to find miniature masterpieces & pass them on to others for a profit knowing I can't lose if it stays in my collection forever.

I try to only use the word "masterpiece" when something truly warrants it & I can't say enough about this piece. Don't make the same mistake as others this time because this will likely never come up for sale again after it's gone this time. It measures 4 & 9/16" tall X 5 & 5/16" long X 2 & 7/16 deep. MAKER- John Masterman was a theater major who turned his childhood hobby into a popular skill constructing perfectly scaled stage settings for the senior students' projects.

Soon he moved to Phoenix & began building 1/2 scale rooms, building 16. After seeing the Thorne rooms, he was inspired to by their perfection & began making 1:12 scale furniture & pianos, each piece being one-of-a-kind (other than a few chair sets & those were one-of-a-kind sets).

Some of his pianos are far beyond even those you see from the really good miniature piano makers like Partelow, such as the Louis the XVI style piano in perfectly scale mahogany with swirled mahogany veneers, gilt carving, as well as an elaborately carved music stand. It was completely strung including not only keys but also hammers & dampers. He made a player piano with rolls in place, harps, pipe organs, amazing antique radios which had tubes & looked like they would really work, but he made some other masterpieces I must note & tell anyone who has one to contact me please! He created a Chippendale china hutch with Chinoiserie painting, real glass 1/32 doors, & a tea caddy inside that was truly amazing. His crowning achievement I've seen only in pictures is a Sheraton style double secretary with carved finials on top which is among the best miniatures I've ever seen & if you have it, I want it!

Some of his early items & 1:24 items are okay, but some of his pieces are so good they are just superlative. His work was featured with a black piano on the cover in the #42 Miniature Collector magazine Mar/Apr 1984 but that piano doesn't hold at candle to this one in terms of beauty & scale. CONDITION- Vintage but like the day it was made, remarkable condition. There are faint scratches running above the tuning pins that were made when they were being installed & these ARE NOT damage. NO PART OF THIS PIECE IS WARPED, but my rounded lens makes straight lines on this seem to curve, take the top board (lid) for instance.

The first photo doesn't show it, but the next two make it appear to curve, but it does not. Our previous 21 years experience with antiques enables us to have a discerning eye when it comes to proper scale in miniatures. We hope you will choose to do business with us. Items are for sale at times at our location so this listing can end at any time.

Sometimes BIN prices go down, sometimes they don't, but this time, they probably won't because I love this piece too much. We describe our items thoroughly & offer many photos. What you see is what you will get. If you read & look thoroughly, you will get what you expect & hopefully you will be pleased. Sometimes BIN prices go down, sometimes they don't. The item "1986 John Masterman Dollhouse Miniature Masterpiece Piano in Perfect Scale OOAK" is in sale since Sunday, June 9, 2019. This item is in the category "Dolls & Bears\Dollhouse Miniatures\Artist Offerings". The seller is "capricisampolla" and is located in Scottsville, Kentucky. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Artist: John Masterman
• Modified Item: No
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Material: Wood
• Scale: 1:12
• Type: Dollhouse Miniature
• Features: Artist Made
• Brand: Unbranded