Monstre Paganini with it's
Magnificently Crafted Casework
(Krughoff collection - circa 2001)

Majestically displayed in the Krughoff's music room, and in a way that accents all its regal splendor, this stunning piece of artistic furniture is an upsized version of the case originally designed for the beautiful Philipps Modell 7 Paganini orchestrion. This new case was built by Siegfried Wendel and his Mechanisches Musikkabinett museum and workshop, Rüdesheim, Germany.

This Monstre Paganini orchestrion, quite unlike the bland and boxy looking Modell 12 Monstre Paganini pictured in the Philipps 1911-12 catalogue, is eye-candy to the extreme. Not only is it elegant in every way, but it is musically just as rich and varied, too.

This oblique view of the Monstre Paganini's beautiful casework more fully illustrates the immense size of the imposing instrument than does a straight-on photograph, showing its front to back depth of 1,80 Meter (5 ft. 11 in.). Moreover, the high relief of the gilded carvings and trim is more evident in this off-center photograph, too, perhaps permitting a greater appreciation for the masterful detail and artistry involved.

A grand view of the Monstre Paganini's central panel, with Beethoven's bust mounted atop a massive cartouche. Below the bust, outlined in gilded trim, is the music roll access door. Peeking in through the glass the roll mechanism with a music roll in the playing position can be seen. In stylized gilded letters scrolled across the bottom quadrant of the glass pane are the words: "Pianella Paganini."