J.-A. H. Tischner’s Factory.
Russia, St. Petersburg, 1820s (before 1824)

“A. Tischner / St PETERSBOURG” — an inscription by black dye on an oval porcelain plate in a frame of gilded bronze; “P № 107 [below are the traces of an effaced one-line inscription]” — a handwritten inscription by black dye on the tailpiece bar;
“М. И. ГЛИНКИ / 1824–1856. (M. I. Glinka 1824–1856)” — a handwritten inscription by black dye on the outside of the cover

2423×1200×920
Wood, metal, bone, fabric, felt

1930, transferred from the Museum of the Leningrad State Conservatory
Stock number: 16516/1325

The frame is wooden, reinforced with 3 steel plate bars. The key action is hoppered. The Irish-type dampers are set on wooden legs. The instrument is equipped with an original damping device: the dampers are grouped not into one but into two groups controlled by pedals. For this purpose, the lever of the right pedal is divided lengthwise into two halves. The left half raises the dampers, releasing half of the strings from the bass side, the right half raises the dampers, releasing half of the strings from the descant side, and both halves pressed simultaneously raise all the dampers. The left pedal moves the keyboard to the right so that the hammers strike against not all the strings of the choirs but against two or one string.

The case (including the side bar from the side of the bass) is veneered with mahogany, while the cover is made of solid mahogany wood. The edges of the cover are profiled along the perimeter, the bottom of the side bars is decorated with profiled molding. In addition, these parts are decorated with an “inlay” (an embedded band of mahogany). Four legs on bronze castor wheels are turned out of solid mahogany, decorated with embossed carving. The pedal mechanism and the music stand with pull-out supports for candlesticks are carved out of solid mahogany wood: the music stand is a composition consisting of a bow and two crossed arrows, and the pedal mechanism is mounted in a “4-stringed lyre”. The surface of the case in the area of the keyboard is covered with cast plates of gilded bronze. In addition to the cover, the strings are protected by a dust guard — a 0.8 mm thick spruce board draped with green silk and shaped like the soundboard. The bottom surface of the case is covered with a spruce improvised soundboard (10 mm thick) with 21 holes (45 mm in diameter).

The instrument belonged to M. I. Glinka (1804–1857)