Charles II's Virginals
John Player
Category
Musical instruments, devices and recordings
Date
1664
Materials
Wood, iron and ivory
Measurements
940 mm (H); 535 mm (W); 1525 mm (D)
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Hatchlands Park, Surrey (Accredited Museum)
On show at
Dining Room, Hatchlands House, Hatchlands Park, Surrey, London and South East, National Trust
NT 1165654
Caption
The virginals is an early keyboard instrument, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. Only 24 survive in the country today. This particular instrument is marked ‘W.P’ indicating that it would have been from the court of Charles II at Whitehall Palace, where it may well have been maintained by the composer Henry Purcell.
Summary
Virginals by John Player, London, 1664. Probably from the court of Charles II at the Palace of Whitehall. On a modern stand.
Provenance
Captain Lane of Wanstead. Sold at Sotheby's in November 1955 to Raymond Russell. Acquired by the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague in 1957. De-accessioned and sold to Alec Cobbe in 1991. Exhibited February-April 1992 in the King's Library at the British Museum. (From the Cobbe Collection Instruments guidebook).
Makers and roles
John Player, maker