‘Gordon Davie, R.I.P.’

     

Magpie file photo

Prestonian Lecturers Gordon Davie, John Wade, and Trevor Stewart, September 2009.

Bro. Moises shared on Facebook the sad news of the death today of Bro. Gordon Davie of the United Grand Lodge of England, and a Past Prestonian Lecturer. I met him only once, but he made an impression.

  

Magpie file photo

Bro. Gordon Davie

Hard to believe it’s been more than ten years since, but in September 2009 there was a very special event that Bro. Rob and I put together in New Jersey. Collaborating with Bro. Trevor Stewart, we arranged a banquet at which Trevor and two other Prestonians took turns at the lectern while we lucky ones supped on a five-course feast. We called it the Prestonian Gala. You can see a little more about that here.

Anyway, between the serious discussions of historical importance both Trevor and Bro. John Wade brought to light, Davie gave us the story of the early days of the Grand Stewards Lodge with some wonderfully hilarious factual details.

Magpie file photo

It was a great night thanks in large part to Bro. Davie. I wrote it up for an early issue of The Journal of the Masonic Society. This photograph of the jewel of the Prestonian Lecturer, that I use repeatedly here on The Magpie (and that many others have borrowed), is of Gordon’s jewel.

Alas, my brother.

Davie was a Past Master of Quatuor Coronati 2076, whose website says:

Gordon Davie was initiated into the Chelsfield Lodge, No. 6405, Province of West Kent in 1964. He became Master of Chelsfield Lodge, No. 6405, in 1964, and has been Master of the following lodges: Lodge of Regularity, No.91 (1988); West Kent Masters Lodge, No. 5778 (1998); Founder & PM of Good Neighbour Lodge, No.83789 (1984); Helios Lodge, No.8311 (1987); West Kent Provincial Grand Stewards Lodge, No.8565 (1976); Fiennes Cornwallis Lodge, No. 9279 (2000); West Kent Lodge of Charity, No.9610 (1999); and Lodge of St Julian, No.5076. Appointed Provincial Grand Steward (Kent ), 1969; Provincial DGDC, 1973 (West Kent), Provincial DC, 1977-8 (West Kent), APGM, 1988-93 (West Kent); AGDC, 1978; PSGD, 1988. Nominated Grand Steward by the Lodge of Regularity, 1988, and Secretary to the Board of Grand Stewards, 1988, he was Cornwallis Lecturer, 2004, and Prestonian Lecturer, 2005.

    

‘Time To Toast meet Tea At Three’

     

Courtesy chairish.com

I heard a brother of grand rank got a little wobbly and needed to be helped into a chair at the proposal of this gesture, but it’s for a worthy cause. Thanks to a good brother Mark Mason in Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire, we have Tea at Three now.

Time to Toast (#TimeToToast) arrives when the hands on the clock form the angle of a square at the nine o’clock hour, and Tea At Three (#TeaAtThree) does likewise at, yes, 3 p.m.—scandalously an hour ahead of conventional tea time—but, again, it’s for the noble and glorious purpose of Masonic solidarity at this time of forced absence.*

Now I’m inspired to announce something for the 9 a.m. hour. Hmmmmm. Yes! Nic at Nine (#NicAtNine). We all shall light our pipes, or whatever is handy, at nine o’clock in the morning. Some suggestions:

Photos courtesy Pipes & Cigars

*There is no truth to the slanderous rumor that Freemasons dial 998 for special responses during emergencies! Just wanted to put that out there.
     

‘Masonic librarians to go electric for annual meeting’

     

The president of the Masonic Library and Museum Association announced today that a web-based virtual meeting will take the place of the physical annual meeting scheduled for September.

Who knows if it’s a premature decision? The announcement is to allow travelers ample opportunity to cancel flights and hotel bookings. The event had been planned for September 11 through 13 at Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“It is our plan to hold an electronic meeting to conduct the business of the organization,” said Brian Rountree in his April 4 letter to the membership. “At this time, it is hoped we can arrange to host a meeting on Saturday, September 12 at 3 p.m. Central time.”

Bro. Rountree, MLIS, is grand librarian of the Grand Lodge of Manitoba.
     

‘2020 Prestonian Lecture book now available’

     

The book of the 2020 Prestonian Lecture was published a few days ago, and now is available for purchase via Amazon.

A System of Morality: Aristotle and English Masonic Ritual by George Boys-Stones can be had in Kindle format and as a paperback. From the publicity:


English Freemasonry defines itself as a “system of morality,” but what does that phrase mean? This new study traces it back to the work of William Preston (1742-1818), who argued that Freemasonry teaches a philosophical approach to virtue. According to Preston, the rituals of Freemasonry are designed to lead the initiate through the ethical thought of Aristotle. His view proved popular, and was decisive in shaping the ritual approved for use by the United Grand Lodge of England shortly after its formation in 1813. Almost all English lodges, and many others throughout the world, still use a ritual derived from this one, and, perhaps without realizing it, continue to pay silent testimony to Preston and to Aristotle in their work.


I had Bro. Boys-Stones booked to present his Prestonian Lecture next month at my lodge in Manhattan and my research lodge in New Jersey, but Coronamania intervened. We’ll get those events rescheduled. In the meantime, I’m getting this book!

Every year, the United Grand Lodge of England selects a worthy brother to serve as the Prestonian Lecturer; in this capacity, he travels the jurisdiction to deliver his lecture in lodges and other venues. Sometimes they travel abroad. This tradition was commenced upon the death of William Preston in 1818 with a bequest to the new grand lodge, and has continued uninterrupted (excepting the years of the Second World War) since.
     

‘Weird Fact Wednesday: Solomon and the iron worker’

     

Iron Worker and King Solomon by Christian Schussele, oil on canvas, 1863. On display at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, near the Masonic Temple.

The subject of this edition of Weird Fact Wednesday isn’t genuinely weird, but there is a good story about it.

There is an artwork titled Iron Worker and King Solomon that you probably are familiar with. It originated as a painting by Christian Schussele of Philadelphia, who created it in 1863 for one Joseph Harrison, a renowned builder of railroads. (Schussele died in New Jersey in 1879.)

The 1996 edition of Coil’s Masonic Encyclopedia says this painting is owned by Joseph’s great grandson, John P.S. Harrison, who was raised a Master Mason at Holland Lodge 8 in New York City on November 26, 1935. Without checking with the lodge’s secretary, I’ll assume Bro. Harrison is deceased.

But, in 1889, says Coil’s, “John Sartain, America’s most famous etcher, made a 25 by 36 inch etching of the picture for the Harrison family,” and “he did another 18 by 25 inches for William M. Bradley & Co. of Philadelphia, who sold prints for a number of years.” The Philadelphia Print Shop Ltd., which offers one today for $600, puts the date at 1876 and says:


“Harrison’s fortune was made in steel manufacturing, so the [painting’s backstory] had a special significance to him. The symbol of the iron worker was also an important one for the industrial northern states, whose heavy manufacturing capability allowed the North to win the Civil War and preserve the Union. This striking print is one of the best examples of John Sartain’s mezzotinting, and it is a classic American image.”


Later, the plate was sold to Macoy Masonic Supply Co. in Virginia, says Coil’s, “who continue to sell a great many prints.” I think this is how many of us today know the image. It also had been published, with a lighthearted modification, in the quarterly publication of New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 for years. The Library of Congress makes a photo of the print available here.

So, what is the story conveyed by the painting?

Joseph Harrison, the steel and railroad magnate, compiled a book in 1868 for private circulation titled The Iron Worker and King Solomon. The copy the author personally inscribed and gave as a gift to the artist Schussele can be viewed in Google Books via the Pennsylvania State University library system, which itself received the book from the Class of 1932.

Harrison writes of a “Rabbinic legend” that tells the story of a blacksmith who crashes the celebration party thrown after the completion of King Solomon’s Temple. I have to admit I do not know the origins of this legend—maybe the Talmud—but this is the story on which the painting is based:


And it came to pass when Solomon, the son of David, had finished the Temple of Jerusalem, that he called unto him the chief architects, the head artificers, and cunning men working in silver and gold, and in wood, and in ivory and stone, — yea, all who aided in working on the Temple of the Lord.

And he said to them, “Sit ye down at my table, for I have prepared a feast for all my chief workers and artificers. Stretch forth your hands, therefore, and eat and drink and be merry. Is not the laborer worthy of his hire? Is not the skillful artificer deserving of honor? Muzzle not the ox that treadeth out the corn.”

And when Solomon and the chief workmen were seated, and the fatness of the land and the oil thereof were upon the table, there came one who knocked loudly upon the door, and forced himself even into the festal chamber. Then Solomon the King was wroth, and said, “What manner of man art thou?”

And the man answered and said, “When men wish to honor me, they call me Son of the Forge, but when they desire to mock me, they call me Blacksmith; and seeing that the toil of working in fire covers me with sweat, the latter name, O King, is not inapt, and in truth I desire no better.”

“But,” said Solomon, “why comest thou thus rudely and unbidden to the feast, where none save the chief workmen of the Temple are invited?”

And the man replied, “Please ye, I came rudely because the servant obliged me to force my way; but I came not unbidden. Was it not proclaimed that the chief workmen of the Temple are invited to dine with the King of Israel?”

Then he who carved the cherubim said, “This fellow is no sculptor.”

And he who inlaid the roof with pure gold said, “Neither is he a worker in fine metals.”

And he who raised the walls said, “He is not a cutter of stone.”

And he who made the roof cried out, “He is not cunning in cedar wood, neither knoweth he the mystery of uniting strange pieces of timber together.”

Then said Solomon, “What hast thou to say, Son of the Forge? Why should I not order thee to be plucked by the beard, scourged with a scourge, and stoned to death with stones?”

When the Son of the Forge heard this, he was in no sort dismayed, but advancing to the table, snatched up and swallowed a cup of wine, and said, “O King, live forever! The chief men of the workers in wood and gold and stone have said that I am not of them, and they have said truly. I am their superior. Before they lived, I was created. I am their master, and they are all my servants.”

And he turned himself round and said to the chief of the carvers in stone, “Who made the tools with which you carve?”

And he answered, “The Blacksmith.”

And he said to the chief of the workers in wood, “Who made the tools with which you hewed the trees of Lebanon, and formed them into pillars and roof for the Temple?”

And he answered, “The Blacksmith.”

Then he said to the artificer in gold and ivory, “Who makes your instruments by which you work beautiful things for my Lord, the King?”

And he answered, “The Blacksmith.”

“Enough, enough, my good fellow”, said Solomon. “Thou hast proved that I invited thee, and that thou art all men’s father in art. Go wash the sweat of the forge from thy face, and come and sit at my right hand. The chiefs of my workmen are but men. Thou art more.”


And so the painting depicts the iron worker seated at the right of the king’s throne, the place of honor.

Anyway, Coil’s reports that Holland Lodge’s Harrison loaned the painting to the Union Club of the City of New York and that it is on display there. Last October, I asked the librarian there about it, but she says the club has no record of it. Turns out that Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts acquired it, I think in 1990, thanks to money donated by an anonymous benefactor. We can see it exhibited there.
     

‘Square snuff stuff’

     

Courtesy apronsandtools blog

Auctioned at Christies just about a decade ago was this snuff box. The description reads: The cover painted with Fortuna holding a cornucopia and leaning against a column inscribed Le grand Art de se taire, Masonic instruments at her feet, within a gilt line and band border, the sides with figures, carriages and buildings in parkland landscapes, the base with three birds perched on a rocky outcrop supporting a triangle below the inscription Trois au veritable, the interior of the hinged cover painted with a Mason in a tricorn hat wearing and holding Masonic symbols, with further instruments strewn at his feet, in a draped portico before distant classical buildings, the interior of the box richly gilt (slight wear to base and to gilt border of cover) 3¼ in. (8.3 cm.) wide overall.

All this talk of Kipling reminded me to share some photos of Masonic-related snuff paraphernalia. Snuff is a powder form of tobacco—not for everyone, but appreciated by those who historically could not smoke at work: coal miners, sweatshop seamstresses, munitions makers, etc. It also was a favorite among the upper classes who didn’t have to work at all, so go figure. It is taken in minute quantities, gently, through the nostril.

I’m happiest with my pipes, but snuff will do “in a pinch.”

On display in the Museum of Freemasonry this month in the “Phases Exhibit” was this snuff handkerchief made in the 1870s. Hard to imagine using this for its intended purpose, namely expelling tobacco-infused mucus at high velocity from the nose, but maybe its preserved condition proves it never was put to use. “Phases” shows various ways Freemasonry uses sights in the heavens for some of its symbols—or it did until two weeks ago when the museum closed due to the virus.

Courtesy Museum of Freemasonry

I don’t know if this brand name has anything to do with the Craft, but Square snuff is available without time travel. One reviewer online says this:

K and B Auction Co.

This is no doubt the smokiest American scotch snuff I have had to date. It comes in a plastic container with a snap down lid that keeps it fresh. It is dry and very fine milled typical of most scotches. I would say that it has a high nicotine hit and a moderate burn, followed by a nice mesquite campfire scent. It reminds me of Bruton snuff but is a darker brown with more smoke flavor. A slow and gentle pinch for a beginning snuffer, this can easily make you cough. Square is an occasional snuff for me and one of my favorite scotches. I highly recommend it if you enjoy a strong nic hit with heavy smokiness.


And finally, there are snuff boxes. Stylish snuff-takers pocket their powder in tiny containers of all kinds, and don’t be surprised if the brethren prefer their snuff boxes ornamented with familiar designs.

Courtesy Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s sold this box in a lot 50 years ago that fetched nearly the £1,800 anticipated. The enameled snuff box dates to c.1765. From the description: rectangular, the lid and sides colorfully painted with Masonic symbols and a temple against a purple sky, within raised gilt flowers and scrolls, gilt-metal mounts, probably Birmingham.

9.2cm., 3⅝in. wide ; 6.5cm. 2½in. wide.

From the description at Steppes Hill Farm Antiques: An extremely rare and unusual 18th century silver trick opening Masonic Snuff or Patch Box, of oval form with flush hinge, the lid bright-cut engraved and set with applied Masonic symbols, including the sun, the moon, a beehive, a set square and compass etc. The Set square has to be pushed forward to unlock the interior mechanism which has three pins locating into circular metal wheels to lock the lid. The base with bright-cut engraved border and presentation inscription – “J.S to R.Banks.”

Sold - £4,950.00

Two more beauties, courtesy Lyon & Turnbull.

     

‘A ritual in all things.’

     

Bro. Rudyard Kipling

There are a number of reasons why Freemasons should appreciate Rudyard Kipling more than we do today. Of course he was one of Masonry’s great literary figures. He was one of literature’s great smokers. His stories often are so gloriously politically incorrect, one might wonder if such a time had been possible once.

Kipling published “In the Interests of the Brethren” in 1918—a time of disasters: the Great War, the worldwide influenza devastation, the bloodshed of Bolshevism. As you can see in the graphic below, it will be the subject of a reading and discussion done over the web to help keep up the fraternity’s spirits during this most unusual period of absenteeism. (Reason No. 4,267,822 why the Grand Lodge of New York is the center of the Masonic universe in the tri-state area.)

Click here for the text of Kipling’s story.

Click to enlarge.

     

‘MRF in Detroit this August’

     

This time it’s safe for me to say it—got into some trouble the last time—so make plans to travel to Detroit in August to enjoy the 11th annual Masonic Restoration Foundation symposium at The Masonic.

The MRF will release registration information and all that stuff soon. I guess after Corona-mania subsides.
     

‘On the Square board game coming soon!’

     

I wish I could report the arrival of this game on the market so you could amuse yourselves in small groups during this period of social distancing, but On the Square is still being developed, and a pending Kickstarter campaign will get it into production soon.

On the Square is the first board game slated for production by a company founded by two Freemasons in the United Kingdom. Matthew & Michael Limited is their game design and production studio, founded last year. Perhaps in keeping with the Masonic number three, another Mason, a specialist printer in Lancashire, will bring this game to fruition. In addition, a percentage of the profits will go to the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

The specs of On The Square include:

• Suitable for 2-4 players, with 5-6 player expansion available
• Play is between 25 and 45 minutes for 4 players
• Suitable for ages 14 and up

How do you play? From the publicity:

Prototypes of the game board.

On the Square is an augmented roll and play game with unique mechanism. Play as an officer of the lodge setting up for a ritual, and collect the tools of each degree to become Master.

On the Square is a new game based on the mysteries and secrets of Freemasonry. Lots of playability, multiple characters, and unique game mechanisms add an exciting strategic edge to traditional roll and move game. Superbly designed and illustrated, quality components, robust and well tested.

On the Square is a traditional, easy to understand and exciting game. You play as one of the six senior officers of the lodge to collect the tools of the three degrees while advancing through the game in the proper steps. Look out for gavel knocks and go on the square to reach the goal of Worshipful Master.

The gavel strikes! The Worshipful Master commands that you prepare yourself properly to enter the lodge in the correct degree and advance by the proper steps, taking your rightful position in your officer seat.

As the lodge door opens and you are admitted by the Tyler and Inner Guard, you must progress around the lodge, through each of the three degrees. Collect the tools of your degree to show your progress, and collect the secrets and mysteries of each officer of the lodge.

During your time in the lodge you are required to obey all the summonses from the secretary and heed the advice of the seniors. Visiting brethren will be on hand to help you progress.

At times, you will have the opportunity to go “on the square” and use your tactical skill, whilst moving in the proper form, to advance. From time to time you will have the opportunity to introduce a new candidate to the lodge, it is your duty to guide him thoughtfully throughout, and when you have completed your journey, you must immediately take your officer’s seat and you can become Master of your lodge.

I will report the progress of On the Square here on The Magpie Mason.
     

‘York Rite to return to New York’

     

Courtesy Jeff Day/Lodgical

Where else but in New York would the York Rite hold its conferences? Last September, the Northeast Conference was hosted in Albany, and this September (11 & 12) it will take place at Tarrytown. Details are still to come, but save the date.

     

‘Calling all quarantined artists’

     
While you artists are cooped up, aching for creative release, why not consider entering this contest via the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania? Phone 215.988.1912 for entry information. From the publicity:


The Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania is sponsoring an art contest for amateur or professional artists, 18 and older, to submit original entries. All artwork must display a visual interpretation of some aspect of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania, whether it be philosophical, historical, scientific, social, fraternal, charitable, architectural, etc.

Entry deadline is Thursday, August 6. Jury selection will be announced Friday, August 28. Gala to be held Friday, October 2.

The Grand Exhibition will be available for public viewing October 6-31, Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
     

‘A tabernacle of peace’

     

Meditation by Rene Magritte, oil on canvas, 1936.

The Magpie Mason hopes all of you are well and are resisting the manufactured hysteria intended to control our lives.

As of four hours ago, the Chinese Virus death toll in the United States was 400.

The number of patients here who have recovered fully was more than 101,000.

Number of patients being treated nationwide: 33,404. In a country of 330 million, that equals one one-hundredth of 1 percent.

This is not an illness that turns healthy people into corpses. The flu, however, as of last week, was estimated to have killed between 23,000 and 59,000 Americans.

All of these statistics originate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Look them up and check back daily to inoculate yourselves from the panic being foisted upon society for the most cynical and detestable motives.

It occurs to some that this new practice of self-quarantine is reminiscent of a religious custom dating to the Decalogue itself. Freemasons give Moses more attention in the Capitular chapter than in the Craft lodge, so it is of a Tabernacle of Peace that I think.

Quiet time. Pray, meditate. No travel. No commerce. Shut off the phone (after reading this). Be still. Do not try to change the world.

     

‘Happy to meet again!’

     

“Happy to meet, sorry to part, happy to meet again!”

Brethren, because we all are absent, wherever you find yourselves at 9 p.m., raise a glass to the Craft.

“Here’s to the Sons of the Widow,

Whenever, wherever they roam,

A speedy relief to their afflictions

And if they desire,

A speedy return to their home.”

     

‘Does Masonry stop? Not at all.’

     

UPDATE: March 16, 6:30 p.m.

D'oh! Everything is postponed!

It is being said on social media this morning that Freemasonry is closing down everywhere due to concerns of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak, but this is not true. While grand masters throughout the United States are ordering postponements, of varying severities, of all manner of Masonic activities within their jurisdictions, the Grand Lodge of New York is governed by reason and it stands above the panic—which is really saying something considering how both the City and State are run by corrupt incompetents who could provoke hysteria in the streets with a single public utterance.

Dr. E. Oscar Alleyne

We have a secret weapon: The Right Worshipful Junior Grand Warden is an epidemiologist who serves as chief program officer for the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Bro. Oscar Alleyne earned a Doctor of Public Health Degree at New York Medical College, and he has years of experience with far more serious outbreaks (H1N1, Smallpox, MERS, and West Nile, to name a few). Maybe you saw him on television last night reassuring the public.

A few days ago, at the Congressional City Conference in Washington, Oscar delivered this presentation. It runs less than seven minutes, but watch and learn.

Neither I nor anyone else is saying there’s nothing to worry about. I’m just saying remain calm. I’m a simple-minded man; I think about other past and present outbreaks that did not spark nationwide panic. The flu, Types A and B, are expected to kill 20,000 or more this season, but for reasons I won’t get into here, we’re not hearing about any of it. In recent years, we have had those MERS and H1N1 viruses, but there wasn’t—shall we say?—the same “news” media coverage.

And social media? Our problem is the avalanche of emotionally hastened decisions they inspire. Grand Master A sees how Grand Master B has ordered the local lodges closed through April 1, and so A does the same thing. Twenty minutes later, Grand Master K, not wanting to squander a chance to sound significant, orders the local lodges in his area closed through May 1.

Well, my grand master says we’re going to carry on, and we’ll just modify some behavior with common sense precautions. For example, the March 19 launch of the Horticultural Center at Utica will proceed, but without ceremony. On the home page of the grand lodge’s website, there is a letter from MW Bro. Sardone—and it’s not even the first button to click; the scholarship application deadline comes first—which provides the headline of this edition of The Magpie Mason.

So, go easy, fellas. Subdue the passions, and “Follow Reason,” as we used to say 300 years ago.

Somehow, Oscar has time to visit our lodges to share what he knows. He will take to the lectern at Copernicus Lodge 545 in Whitestone on March 24 at 8 p.m. for a discussion open to Masons, our families, and friends. I’m sure he will speak at many more lodges to help us through this.
     

‘Research lodge to meet at George Washington’s lodge’

     

The lodge that made George Washington a Mason will be the meeting place of the next “stated conclave” of Civil War Lodge of Research 1865.

That’s Saturday, April 4 at Fredericksburg Lodge 4, located at 803 Princess Anne Street in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

The brethren and their ladies will dine informally the night before at Deutschland Downtown at 6 p.m. Kindly RSVP to Worshipful Master G. Andrew Martinez here.

On Saturday the fourth, the research lodge will gather at 8 a.m. for coffee before setting up the lodge room. The meeting will open at ten o’clock and will be followed by lunch at noon. At 1:30 the group will visit the Fredericksburg Battlefield (half-mile walk) for a tour led by Bro. Smith.

At 5:30, everyone is welcome to gather at Paradise Diner for supper.

Hotel accommodations are planned (approximately $100/night) at the Hampton Inn & Suites Fredericksburg. Breakfast, wifi, etc. are included.
     

‘King Solomon’s Temple, nazis, and a legendary piano’

     
It has been known as “The Immortal Piano” and “The Siena Piano” and “The King’s Piano” and “The Harp of David Piano,” and legend says it is made of cedar from King Solomon’s Temple; after failing to sell via eBay earlier this winter, the magnificent upright piano made in Italy in 1799 was auctioned last Monday by Winner’s Auctions.

It was hoped the singular piece would garner between $1.5 million and $2 million, but the final gavel sounded after 33 competitive bids at $320,000.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

The Solomon’s Temple bit aside, this piano has an unbelievable history. From the auction house description:


The story of this piano starts at the beginning of the 19th century, when a harpsichord maker from Turin, Italy, named Sebastian Marchisio worked on building a new piano. Many legends have been told about the raw materials used by Marchisio. Inter alia, it is claimed that the source of wood for the piano was from the trees Hiram brought to King Solomon for the building of the first Temple.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

Sebastian managed to finish the resonance box before he passed away, but not the whole piano. His son Enrico continued building the piano, and after Enrico’s death, his grandsons Luciano and Raffaelo, talented craftsmen in their own right, made some changes, including adding strings, keys and hammers, while leaving the original resonance box built by their grandfather. The work was finally completed c. 1825. The new piano had a unique tone, unlike any instrument built until that time. The combination of Sebastian’s original resonance box and the enhancements contributed by his grandchildren created a more delicate sound than the pianos of those days, much like a harpsichord, yet more powerful, like a piano.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

The piano was given as a present to their sister, Sebastian’s granddaughter, Rebecca, who lived in Siena. The piano became very famous there, as it was frequently featured at festive events in the city. Toward the 1860s, the Marquis of Siena ordered a more magnificent appearance to be given to the piano. Sculptor Nicodemo Ferri, Rebecca’s son, and great-grandson of the original creator of the piano, Sebastian, together with his cousin, architect and painter Carlo Bartolozzi, were commissioned for this work. They produced the piano’s magnificent and impressive frame and its cover, which remain to this day. The design includes portraits of famous composers Mozart, Handel, and others. At center, they carved David’s harp, as well as lions, cherubs, and more. The refurbished piano is considered one of the most beautiful and impressive musical instruments in the world. Furthermore, the new design also included new technology: a staticofone, an iron-reinforced frame, which enhanced the sound. In 1867, after the piano’s design was completed, it was sent to Paris for the World’s Fair. The piano was exhibited in the Italian Pavilion, where renowned pianist Camille Saint-Saëns was one of the many who played it.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

A year later, in 1868, the City of Siena (after convincing Ferri) gave it to King (then Prince) Umberto I on the occasion of his marriage to Margherita, Princess of Savoy, with pianist Franz Liszt playing on it at the ceremony. Liszt also played it on other occasions in later years. Umberto was crowned King of Italy in 1878, and the piano earned the name “The King’s Piano.” The piano was transferred to Palazzo del Quirinale. It remained there for approximately 70 years, serving the royal family. Queen Margherita often entertained in the palace’s music room, where the piano stood, and it is reported to have been her favorite instrument.

During the 1880s, Mattis Yanowski, a refugee from Czarist Russia, performed before King Umberto, performing wondrously. After the performance, the king approached Yanowski, complimented his playing. He told him about the wondrous piano in his possession, justifiably nicknamed “David’s Harp,” and he invited him to play at his palace. The invitation and the description of the piano left a great impression on Yanowski, but the king’s murder prevented Yanowski from seeing the piano and it remained an unrealized dream. On his deathbed, Yanowski extracted a promise from his grandson Avner Carmi, one of the first piano makers and tuners in the Land of Israel, to go see the legendary piano in Rome. Carmi first traveled to Berlin in 1920 with the goal of studying music and piano tuning. On his way, he went to Rome and attempted unsuccessfully to get into the palace to see the piano. He visited Rome several times more over the following years, but each time, he did not manage to see the legendary piano. Once, he was even arrested by the palace guards, and released with his friend Arthur Schnabel’s intervention.

Courtesy liveauctioneers.com

Carmi was drafted into the British army during WWII, and he served in Egypt. One day, soldiers from his unit who were searching for mines using metal detectors, discovered a plaster-covered piano buried in the sand, and brought it with them. The unit’s officers wanted to discard the piano, but Carmi convinced them to hold on to it as a means to entertain the soldiers. In a strange twist of fate, Carmi himself did not realize that this was the piano he had been seeking all those years. After the war, the piano was sold at auction in Gaza City, where a Tel Aviv dealer bought it. Carmi despaired of searching for the legendary piano while visiting Monza after the British conquest, when he discovered that the piano had been looted by a senior Nazi officer, apparently Rommel himself. When he returned to Tel Aviv, he met that same dealer who had bought the piano in Gaza. He bought it from him for next to nothing because the crowding at the dealer’s store was insufferable.

Carmi began refurbishing it, and much to his amazement, after discarding a few pieces of plaster from the piano, carved cherubic figures peeked out at him from the wood. As he continued to work, he realized that the legendary piano he had been searching for over the years now stood in his living room. Excited, Carmi wrote to the King of Italy to tell he had the piano, and that he had commenced the grueling work of restoring it. It took him three years and 90 liters of acetone to recreate its external appearance. Carmi then traveled to the United States with the piano, where he restored its original special sound. The piano starred in American media with the best musicians of the day playing it, such as Arthur Rubinstein, Penina Saltzman, Charles Rosen, Alfred Cortot, and others. Many articles and extensive write-ups have covered it. There was an attempt to produce a movie about it, but Avner Carmi passed away before this idea was realized.
Carmi’s children eventually sold the piano to a private collector.