A Franco-Flemish double-manual harpsichord, originally a 'transposing' harpsichord made in Antwerp in 1617, possibly by Frans van Huffel.  It was given a bass ravalement in Paris in 1750 by François Étienne Blanchet and it was later given a treble ravalement in 1786 by Jacques Barberini and Nicolas Hoffmann.

 

 

Franco-Flemish harpsichord jacks dated 1750.

 

The date 1750, written with quill and ink, on the jacks of 2 of the 3 rows with 58 notes.  These 58 jacks correspond to the first ravalement compass of F1 to d3.

The numbers on the left-hand jack in ink in shades of blue are modern, the lower number clearly in blue biro (ball point) pen and probably dates to the 1970 'restoration' by Roberto de Regina in Buenos Aires.  The actual number of the jack - unseen here and much lower down the jack - is '1' on all three of the surviving dated jacks corresponding to the lowest note F1 of the first-ravalement state.

 

Return to the section on the eighteenth-century history of the Franco-Flemish harpsichord

 

Return to the section on the description of the Franco-Flemish harpsichord