A Franco-Flemish double-manual harpsichord, originally a 'transposing' harpsichord made in Antwerp in 1617, possibly by Frans van Huffel.  It was given a bass ravalement in Paris in 1750 by François Étienne Blanchet and it was later given a treble ravalement in 1786 by Jacques Barberini and Nicolas Hoffmann.

 

Franco-Flemish harpsichord interior seen during the restoration.

The interior of the harpsichord showing the gilt jackrail (arrow) used here as an internal brace!!  This jackrail may have belonged to the instrument when it had a compass of G1/B1 to d3 in its petit ravalement state.  Note the 'practice run' painting on one of the flat diagonal braces nailed to the soundboard liners!

The lower guides and wrestplank are those renewed by me during the present restoration.  Faint shadows of the 'stifle bars' which were placed under both of the bridges, probably by either Louis Tomasini or Arnold Dolmetsch, can also be seen here.

 

 Return to the secion on the eighteenth-century states of this harpsichord