Harpsichord
Jacob Kirkman (1710 - 1792)
Category
Musical instruments, devices and recordings
Date
1766
Materials
Wood, metal, ivory, cloth, leather, gut, bird feather rachis
Measurements
930 x 950 mm; 2360 mm (Length)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire
NT 959742
Summary
Double manual harpsichord inscribed on the fascia Jacob Kirckman Londini Fecit 1766. The case of oak veneered with figured walnut, crossbanded with straight-grained walnut and inlaid with lines of tulipwood and boxwood. The keywell elaborately marquetried, inlaid with decorative lines and crossbanded. The instrument rests on a turned walnut stand terminating in carved cabriole legs. The keyboard compass FF – f3 (less FF#). Disposition: 2x8’, 1x4’ and lute register, with buff (harp) stop to unison 8’. Fitted with a pedal-operated ‘machine’ stop and ‘nag’s head swell’. Fitted originally with a music desk and ‘machine’ box cover, both elements now lost. A lid prop-stick is present. An original sales invoice for the instrument, dated 1st September 1767, survives in the Winn family archive.
Provenance
Purchased by Rowland Winn, 5th Baronet from Kirkman in Sep 1767 for £91 10s (see WYW1352/1/1/22/6 for 1968 correspondence concerning the original receipt). Passed by inheritance to 4th Lord St Oswald (1916-1984), transferred with other Nostell chattels to the National Trust via Acceptance in Lieu in 1986.
Makers and roles
Jacob Kirkman (1710 - 1792), manufacturer
References
Bolach, D.H., Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavicord, 1956, p.63