An upright piano by John Brinsmead & Sons, London, circa 1855 , the case of birch, the panel above and below the keyboard with complex fretwork backed by green silk, the two serpentine front legs carved with acanthus leaves, the seven octave keyboard, AAA to a4, with ivory naturals and ebony accidentals, two pedals controlling una corda in the bass and due corde in the treble, metal brace frame, inscribed on the interior of the fallboard John Brinsmead & Sons, London, height 125cm., width 132.5cm., depth 65cm. Provenence Formerly the property of the music hall performer Vesta Tilley (b Worcester 1864, d London 1952). Tilley starred in both England and the USA, being best known as a male impersonator. In 1890 she married the music-hall entrepreneur Walter de Frece who was knighted in 1919 so she became Lady de Frece. Her husband became the Conservative MP for firstly Ashton-under-Lyne and then Blackpool. Her autobiography Recollections of Vesta Tilley was published in 1934. The piano was located at the de Freces home in Monte Carlo. Literature Dow, p. 11 Burnett, p. 39Buyers will need to make themselves aware of domestic CITES regulations with regard to the import and export of endangered species, eg. ivory, tortoiseshell, coral, etc. For advice on CITES export licences please contact info@taxidermylaw.co.uk.