A grand piano commissioned by George IV in 1821 is to return to Brighton Pavilion after it sold for £62,000 at Piano Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) in London on April 6.
This much-published instrument, with a rosewood and cut brass case, can clearly be seen among the furnishings of the Entrance Hall in a plate from John Nash’s Views of the Royal Pavilion, 1826.
The original invoice from the London maker Thomas Tomkison for 225 guineas (well over twice the cost of a standard top-quality grand piano at the time) survives in the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle while a note inside the piano states simply For the King.