Copy of a ‘French’ model Ruckers harpsichord

Made in Edinburgh by Grant O’Brien in 1985

 

 

Details about the rosette

          After his appointment to the archducal court of Ferdinand and Isabella in Brussels in 1615, Ioannes Ruckers used three different rosettes to decorate the soundboards of his instruments:  he used a rosette of diameter 85 mm in his double-manual harpsichords, a smaller rosette of diameter 73 mm for his single-manual harpsichord and a rosette of diameter 65 mm in the virginals.  The rosette in this instrument is based on one of the larger 85 mm diameter rosettes and is, except for the initials ‘GB’, a copy of the rosette in the 1618 double-manual harpsichord in Schloß Cappenberg in Westphalia in Germany.

 

          The rosette was copied, cast and gilded by Grant O’Brien and the soundboard decoration, copied from the Nirouet Ruckers in Paris, was painted by Grant O’Brien.