Spinet
Johann Hancock
Category
Musical instruments, devices and recordings
Date
1780 - 1799
Materials
mahogany, ebony, ivory, maplewood and boxwood
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Fenton House, London
NT 1448926
Summary
Spinet, uncertain maker, London, c. 1780s. A bentside spinet inscribed on the fascia batten Johann Hancock Fecit Londini, but the attribution to this builder is not certain. The instrument probably made in London, c1780s. The case veneered with mahogany, inlaid with plain lines and resting on a later stand (possibly a post-WWII stand). Fitted music desk (damaged) to interior and furnished with a modern lid prop-stick. The keyboard, not believed to be original to the instrument, has a compass of GG – g3.
Provenance
Spinet, 1780s. Acquired from a shed in Wales in the 1930s. Described in the Old Devonshire House catalogue 1938 and in Amateur Musician 1939. In the 1940 inventory, appears to be listed as 'Property of the Friends of Old Devonshire House Society'.
Marks and inscriptions
JOHANN HANCOCK FECIT LONDON
Makers and roles
Johann Hancock, musical instrument maker