Italian Virginal: Museum Object and Cultural History
Italian Virginal: date made: 17th century. Object Name: harpsichord. Physical Description: wood (overall material).
The object in the museum catalogue
This harpsichord was made by an unknown maker in Italy, in the 17th century. It is a polygonal virginal with a compass of C/E - c3, and a disposition of 1 x 8’. This instrument has a cypress soundboard, and dark-stained boxwood naturals and dark wood accidentals. The outer edge, jack rail, nameboard, and endblocks are decorated with ivory studs. The soundboard contains a 3-1/8” diameter parchment rose.
The separable outer case is painted dark brown. There are traces of painted decorations on the interior of the lid that have been painted over. The simple trestle stand is not original.
Materials, dates and provenance
- date made: 17th century
- Object Name: harpsichord
- Physical Description: wood (overall material)
- Physical Description: paint (case material)
- Physical Description: metal (overall material)
- Physical Description: cypress (soundboard material)
- Physical Description: boxwood (naturals material)
- Physical Description: ebony (accidentals material)
- Physical Description: quill (plectra material)
- Physical Description: parchment (rose material)
- place made: Italy
- ID Number: MI.303545
- accession number: 62559
- catalog number: 303545
- Credit Line: Gift of Hugo Worch
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
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