Steinway & Sons, a top piano brand with 159-year history, released its latest unique art case piano Spring Time in Beijing on Tuesday night.

The piano, which is based on a Louis XV style Steinway M grand piano, was designed by American decorative painter and fine artist Rick Muto, who now lives in Rochester, New York.

Rick Muto and his latest work. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Thinking that spring is a season full of artistic temperament, Muto walked around Rochester last spring, collecting images of various flowers, trees and grasses. He then spent about one year carefully painting the scenery of Rochester on the shell of the piano.

"Two things are important: creating the vision and making the design as beautiful as I can," he says. "I'm very glad the result turns to be nice."

The price for this piano is 2.88 million yuan ($452,400) and no one has claimed ownership of it yet.