Music cabinet and piano with a relic of St Cecilia, Pierre Joseph Hubert Cuypers, c. 1858 - c. 1859

Music cabinet and piano with a relic of St Cecilia, Pierre Joseph Hubert Cuypers, c. 1858 - c. 1859

oak (wood), h c.205.5cm × w c.103cm × d c.56.5cm More details

Pierre Cuypers, the Rijksmuseum architect, designed these pieces of furniture as engagement and wedding presents for his second wife. The Gothic Revival style and the reliquary on the piano express their deep-rooted Catholicism. The images on the piano case – the Annunciation and scenes from the life of St Cecilia, patron saint of music – allude to the difficult choice of Cuypers’ wife between marriage and a musical career.

On display in room 1.15

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