A Franco-Flemish double-manual harpsichord,
The stand of
the Franco-Flemish harpsichord
This photograph shows the stunning stand underneath the
Franco-Flemish harpsichord. The escutcheons at the summit of the legs are
ribbed and framed with elegant foliate decoration. The cabriole legs have
elaborate goat feet (cabriole means 'to leap like a goat'). The height of the stand is
greater than normal and raises the instrument into a slightly higher playing position
than is usual. This may have been done to accommodate the luxurious ladies
gowns and petticoats. Visually the raised position makes the instrument look particularly striking
and imposing.
It is in a French Roccoco style, and seems to date to 1750. Like the case of the instrument it has been widened to accommodate the compass extension of 1786 by widening the front stretcher and the near end of the bentside stretcher. This strongly suggests that the stand is contemporary with the outer-case decorations and paintings of 1750 and that it was, along with the rest of the instrument, widened in 1786.
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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