The case-side mouldings and joins
The top mouldings, in particular the cap moulding, are unusual in the Neapolitan tradition. In most schools of Italian harpsichord building the cap moulding projects beyond the top inner and outer mouldings. However, in the Neapolitan tradition the cap moulding is flush with the inner and outer top case mouldings and forms a kind of continuum with them.
The angle of the tail is quite sharp (only 36.3º). The mouldings at the tail edge are not particularly thick, but they do project considerably beyond the case-side ends because of this sharp angle. They give the instrument a sharp and almost dangerous appearance. Making these moulding joins required a certain amount of woodworking acrobatics.
These mouldings also help to reinforce the case sides. They provide a considerable amount of strength and structural rigidity especially along the case top edge. In addition they hide pieces of wood underneath the mouldings which are let into the two case sides and which tie the two walls together so that the strength of the joint is not dependent solely upon the strength of the glue join between the mouldings and the case sides alone.
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