Italian Harpsichord:
Decorated with garlands, dating from the 17th Century, and rebuilt by a French maker 100 years later. Supported on trestles. Bought at Sotheby's, and described as "fine and decorative two-manual Italian harpsichord in a Louis XVI case." It has a beautiful
Flemish painting on the inside of the lid in the style of Tenier and a
beautiful ornamented frame, 7 foot long and shaped like a modern grand piano but much
narrower. (It is notable that there were also famous Flemish harpsichord makers
in the 17th century.) The
strings in this instrument are plucked by a "quill" when the key is
struck. There is a double keyboard with several pedals or "stops"
(RDM,6.3.65)
