A Franco-Flemish double-manual harpsichord,
Details of
the Franco-Flemish harpsichord
This photograph gives a good idea of
the splendour of this harpsichord. The
inside and the outside of the case are decorated on a ground of thick gold leaf
with oil paintings on top of the gold, a decorative process known in the eighteenth century as ‘vernis
martin’. The top surface of the lid
incorporates a number of groups of figures. Among these are Venus and
Cupid with their attributes
on the top of the lid flap, and the top of the main lid shows
Juno and Flora along with an
image of a reclining nude. These
figure paintings have been attributed to François Boucher
and dated to exactly 1750, the date on the ravalement jacks.
Around the figures there is roccoco rocaille decoration attributed to Christophe Huet The outside of the
case and the inside of the lid have now been cleaned and, once
restored, the affected parts should look even more brilliant and beautiful than
what is shown here in these photographs.
The soundboard is painted with an eighteenth-century style of flower painting which is probably by Mabel Dolmetsch, who was the third wife of Arnold Dolmetsch
The stand is particularly fine and beautifully carved,
gessoed and
gilded. The height of the stand is
greater than normal and raises the instrument into a high playing position.
The case of the instrument has been widened on both sides in two separate ravalements, and the bridges have also been lengthened during the process. Details of the ravalement process are described in the links below. The registers were lengthened in two stages to accommodate the added notes of the ravalement states and the wrestplank and nuts were replaced. However, the later spacing of the strings was not changed so taht it retains its original 8' and 4' pinning with the addition of a second 8' bridge pinning. The vernis martin decoration was touched up to conceal the lengthening of the case sides.
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Important
Features of this harpsichord
A brief history of the musical and decorative states of the Franco-Flemish harpsichord
Details of
the original state of the instrument
Details of the eighteenth-century states of this harpsichord
Details of the modern history of this harpsichord
A problem encountered in the ethical restoration of this harpsichord
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