Harpsichord

Unknown

mid 17th century · wood, various materials · Musical Instruments

Technical description: Typical Italian thin-case construction, made of curly maple, no outer case, crude lid attached to spine, nameboard and jackrail decorated with inlaid ivory and ebony; present compass AA-e3, and earlier compass was AA-f3, may have had split accidentals at one point; single manual, now 2x8', may have been 1x8' earlier, now has buff stop, probably not original; ebony naturals with ivory arcades, ebony accidentals with inlaid ivory, three-rail keyframe, keys guided by wooden slips in rack; pear or fruitwood jacks with beech tongues, quill springs, quill plectra, single flag dampers, box registers moved by grasping small ivory knobs, but no levers are present; soundboard has three elaborate multi-layered parchment roses. (Douglas Maple 1983)

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid 17th century

Medium

wood, various materials

Culture

Italian

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889