The piano was a gift from Pope John Paulus to Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu.
12 pieces were made and were given as gifts to the kings in the RUMANIEN, WURTTEMBERG, ITALIEN, BADEN, RUSSLAND, HÖHENZOLLEN, HOLLAND, PREUSSEN, ENGLAND, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, AUSTRALIA, SACHSEN COBURG GOTHA empires of that period.
He received the Grand Prize of GRANDPRIY SGHIEDMAYER in Paris in 1900.
It is made of African Ebony wood and the keys are ivory.
Ebony is a tree that gives us beautiful tones and from which the most durable furniture is made. People who discovered this black, densely textured tree have used the timber obtained from it to produce pianos, violins and cellos for hundreds of years.
Ebony wood is a material that can only be compared to marble because it is hard. A perfectly shiny surface can be achieved. It is a tree that has been respected in Europe for centuries because the best timber used in furniture making comes from it. In the 15th century, carpenters in Germany used to make palace cabinets from ebony wood. Any item made of ebony was considered a luxury item that only royalty or the wealthy could own. This type of cabinets, decorated with carved and intricately detailed moldings depicting allegorical subjects and scenes taken from classical or Christian history, also began to be made in Paris, where they became known as ébénistes. In France, carpenters were called 'menuisier en ebene' (ebony workers) or 'ebenistes' because they were identified with ebony workmanship. Although boxwood or ivory is used for the white pieces in chess sets, the black pieces are always made of ebony wood.
Although ebony is a valuable tree, it is now under threat of extinction because it cannot be managed sustainably today. Although today the timber trade of many ebony species is restricted, illegal trade worth billions of dollars continues.
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