Duet Bench for Piano Restore or keep as is?

Hi all.

We have had an old Upright Stodart Piano in our family for over a century. Serial nr: 23657. It is still in excellent playing condition - still played on a regular basis and tuned almost every year.

I was able to find out through research that pianos like these do not have any "antique" value persé and we would not want to sell it either - it's always been a family heirloom since it was bought in the very early 1900's.

My question is about the duet bench that was apparently bought at the same time. It too is still in good condition but the seat "cover" does show signs of wear and tear. The wood is in good condition, but again there are some stains.


Would you suggest we keep it as is, or try to have it restored? Again, not for resale, the bench and the piano are part of the family

Is there any way of determining the manufacturer or date of manufacture of such a bench?


Thanks!

 

I'm not an expert in furniture and such. But is that bench made of tiger wood? It looks like it to me, but again, I'm not an expert. I wouldn't do anything with the wood, just clean it up a little. But I don't believe it would hurt to renew the seat cover. It's surely I nice seat.

 

The feet appear to be claw feet. With the turned sides and claw feet, I would think late 19th century to early 20th century. Manufacture wise, I have no clue.

 

Thanks Armando. I'm not remotely in the know on furniture. I always believed it to be oak bench and piano, and having looked at some photos online I am now inclined to think you could be right - could be tiger oak (don't think its maple) but again I'm not certain.

It's definitely ball-and-claw, and from what my dad can remember his grandma bought it around the turn of the century. During or just after the boer war... So right around your estimate

 

Clean and polish the wood...& a new leather seat cover would add a little class to an already beautiful piece of furniture.....imo.

 

If a piano bench is upholstered at all, I prefer a piano seat/bench upholstered in a cloth fabric which is not slick, doesn't conduct static electricity, and which doesn't (sometimes) make distracting noises as the pianist's posterior slides/moves (even ever so slightly) across it.

 

This is one of the more unusual piano benches I have seen. Finding the maker would be next to impossible unless you run across another marked example or an ad with it in it. While it may have been purchased with the piano, they may not have been made together. It is/was pretty common to mix and match benches and pianos from different makers.

Your bench doesn't need to be refinished. Cleaning and a coat of paste wax would do wonders for it. It doesn't hurt to reupholster since that is expected over the years. The wood is walnut, though I suspect the legs may be something else stained to match the walnut used up top.

 

I love that! Yes, cleaning would probably make it look awesome! Reupholstering wouldn't hurt. I just saw a "double bench" (a bit older that) on a BBC show called "The Repair Shop" on You Tube. It was one of the first 3 episodes. They did not give a value. Interesting show on how to repair treasures if no one has seen it.

Leslie

 

Dec 2 2014 ...... no one has seen this thread for over 5 years........

 

Dang, I gotta remember to check those dates!