In 2000, when pop star George Michael paid 1.67 million for John Lennon's Steinway Model Z piano, he can only have been thinking of the sound investment he had made. Pianos, the most played instrument in the world, are durable enough to last 40 years if they are properly looked after.
'Imagine', the classic John Lennon song, was written using this rather unpretentious instrument
and consequently took the title of the most expensive piano ever bought. The New York piano manufacturers' Steinway & Sons, founded in 1853, and famous for their handmade pianos, were the proud creators of an instrument that toured the world in 2007, being placed in sites of past violence as a symbol of peace.
The renowned manufacturers not only produced this expensive example. In Steinberg's factory in Hamburg, Germany in 2008, the manufacturer tailor-made the world's most expensive grand piano with a price tag of $1.2 million. With a reproduction of the artwork of Chinese painter Shi Qui adorning the lid, the instrument was also made up of 40 different woods. With the moniker 'Sound of Harmony', the piano took four years to produce and was eventually bought by art collector Guo Qingxiang. It later made an appearance at the Expo 2010 Shangai China.
The Alma Tadema, another production of Steinway & Sons, was bought for $1.2 million in 1997 and is believed to be the second most expensive grand piano sold at auction. In 1894, New York millionaire Henry G. Marquand requested the piano be custom-made, and famous painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was responsible for its decoration. It was adorned with oil paintings, ornate carvings and detailed inlays, giving it the coveted title of the most decorative piano ever produced.
In the present day, the most expensive new limited edition piano is widely known to be the Limited Edition Kuhn-Bsendorfer, which was unveiled in 2009 by Jon Kuhn and took a year and a half to make. Kuhn, the world's foremost cold glass sculptor, was also responsible for its design, along with L Bsendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH of Vienna, Austria. It is currently on sale for $1.2 million.
'Imagine', the classic John Lennon song, was written using this rather unpretentious instrument
and consequently took the title of the most expensive piano ever bought. The New York piano manufacturers' Steinway & Sons, founded in 1853, and famous for their handmade pianos, were the proud creators of an instrument that toured the world in 2007, being placed in sites of past violence as a symbol of peace.
The renowned manufacturers not only produced this expensive example. In Steinberg's factory in Hamburg, Germany in 2008, the manufacturer tailor-made the world's most expensive grand piano with a price tag of $1.2 million. With a reproduction of the artwork of Chinese painter Shi Qui adorning the lid, the instrument was also made up of 40 different woods. With the moniker 'Sound of Harmony', the piano took four years to produce and was eventually bought by art collector Guo Qingxiang. It later made an appearance at the Expo 2010 Shangai China.
The Alma Tadema, another production of Steinway & Sons, was bought for $1.2 million in 1997 and is believed to be the second most expensive grand piano sold at auction. In 1894, New York millionaire Henry G. Marquand requested the piano be custom-made, and famous painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was responsible for its decoration. It was adorned with oil paintings, ornate carvings and detailed inlays, giving it the coveted title of the most decorative piano ever produced.
In the present day, the most expensive new limited edition piano is widely known to be the Limited Edition Kuhn-Bsendorfer, which was unveiled in 2009 by Jon Kuhn and took a year and a half to make. Kuhn, the world's foremost cold glass sculptor, was also responsible for its design, along with L Bsendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH of Vienna, Austria. It is currently on sale for $1.2 million.
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