Franco-Flemish double-manual harpsichord, originally a 'transposing' harpsichord made in Antwerp in 1617 by an unknown maker.  It was given a bass ravalement in Paris sometime between 1742 and 1750.  Then it received a major alteration when it was lavishly decorated and given a bass ravalement in 1750 by François Étienne Blanchet.  Later is was given a treble ravalement in 1786 by Jacques Barberini and Nicolas Hoffmann.

 

 

Franco-Flemish harpsichord jacks photographed in UV light and CLEARLY dated 1750.

 

The date 1750, written with quill and (iron gall?) ink, on the jacks of 2 of the 3 rows when the compass had only 58 notes, has been photographed here in UV light (365 nm.) in order to make the (iron gall?) ink show up more clearly.  These 58 jacks (here re-numbered '59' in a modern restoration) correspond to the first ravalement compass of F1 to d3 so these jacks would have plucked the strings for the top d3 note.

 

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Important Features of this 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

 

Problems encountered in the ethical restoration of this harpsichord

 

 The attributions of the 1750 state to  François Étienne Blanchet, Christophe Huet and François Boucher

 

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This page was last revised on 20 December 2021.