Chopin's Last Piano

One of the most closely guarded treasures of the Fryderyk Chopin Museum in Warsaw is the last piano owned by the composer. It would be difficult to imagine this place without this extraordinary instrument today; however, a few decades ago its fate was not at all certain...

Chopin changed his address in Paris as many as eight times. The composer's last apartment was on Place Vendôme. There stood the piano which is kept in our museum today.

After the composer's death on October 17, 1849, the instrument was put up for auction. It was purchased by a Scottish aristocrat, student and admirer of Chopin, Jane Stirling. However, she decided to pass the priceless gift to someone else...
 

The achievements of the Pleyel company are also listed on a gold-coloured plate placed above the keyboard. In addition to the name of the company, it contains information about the numerous medals awarded to it.

There are many surprises waiting for us inside the instrument. One of them is the seal with the tsarist eagle. Most probably it was placed there in 1850, when the piano was brought to Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa's Warsaw apartment from Paris.

Under the keyboard, we can find the handwritten number 44427 MN. This is the signature of the object from the time when the piano, donated by Ludwika Jędrzejewiczowa's heirs, was brought to the National Museum of Warsaw. Most likely, the number was added in 1924.