France
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Objectmusical instrument: Accordion
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Author of the objectAlexandre Pere & Fils
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Type of arts & crafts 1
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Type of arts & crafts 2
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MediumWood, metal, mastic, brass, tortoiseshell, gilt brass, mother-of-pearl, silver foil
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SizeClosed: 15 3/16 Г— 5 5/16 Г— 6 7/8 in. (38.5 Г— 13.5 Г— 17.5 cm)
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Geography details
Town Paris,
France -
Country today
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Date1850-55
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CultureFrench
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Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
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Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
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This instrument is profusely decorated with foliate designs in blue, green, pink and white enamel-like mastic with brass and tortoiseshell inlays. The twenty-four mother-of-pearl keys each operate two notes (one on push and a second on pull). The multifold bellows are lined with embossed silver foil bearing green flocking.
In the 1830s, Paris became a major center of accordion production, which flourished until the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. To compete with makers in Austria and Germany, Paris manufacturers successfully marketed their instruments by applying rich and costly decoration. This instrument follows a model by Demian of 1831, and is one of two surviving instrument of this type to have a second button row for the accidentals, it is therefore known as a “Paris accordions perfectionnes” or a “perfected” accordion. Only two such instruments are known to exist.