A Franco-Flemish double-manual harpsichord,

originally a transposing harpsichord made in Antwerp, c.1620 and

ravalé in Paris in 1750 and then refait by Jacques Barberini, Paris, c.1775

 

 

Details about the Ruckers rosette in the Franco-Flemish harpsichord

 

          The rosette in the instrument is slightly too small for the hole into which it has been placed.  The original soundboard rosette was removed, probably in the eighteenth century, and replaced with an “HR” rose.  The replacement rose appears to be genuine and from a Ioannes Ruckers instrument from the period 1598 to 1617 and is very similar to that which is shown in Figure 7.24, page 160 of my book[1].  However this replacement rose does not fit the original hole.  The diameter of the hole in the soundboard (81mm) can be seen clearly in places.  This is considerably greater than the diameter of the Ioannes Ruckers rose which has a diameter of 65mm like the other Ioannes Ruckers roses from instruments of the period 1598 to 1617.  Because it has the correct diameter and is otherwise an identical casting to the rosettes in numerous genuine instruments, it therefore appears to be a genuine rose.  The gap between the edge of the rose and the inside of the bevel has been filled out with gesso or some other filler.

           There are also signs underneath the soundboard of the former existence of a slightly larger soundboard rosette which had been glued in place sometime before the present rose.  The present rose is also not taped to the lower surface of the soundboard with the characteristic four pieces of linen cloth normally used by the members of the Ruckers/Couchet family to hold the rose in position.  Instead the rose is held by a single piece of cloth cut into a circle and glued all round the rose.  There can therefore be no doubt about this rose:  it clearly is not original to this instrument.

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