Kirkman Single Manual Harpsichord
date: label: date made
content: 1776
name: label: maker
content: Kirkman, Jacob
label: maker
content: Kirkman, Abraham
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: This harpsichord was made by Jacob and Abraham Kirkman in London, England in 1776. It is a single manual harpsichord with a compass of FF - f3 (no FF#), and a disposition of 2 x 8’, 1 x 4’. This instrument has a spruce soundboard, and ivory naturals and ebony accidentals. There are three hand stops: one on bass side (octave 4’) and two on treble side of nameboard (first unison 8’, second unison 8’). The nameboard is inscribed: “Jacobus et Abraham Kirckman Londini Fecerunt 1776.” The soundboard contains a 3” diameter rose of gilt metal with musical instruments and the initials “IK.”
label: Description (Brief)
content: The inseparable case is made of mahogany veneered wood with crotch mahogany panels with holly stringing and plain mahogany cross banding. The keyboard well has burl walnut veneer with holly stringing and light walnut cross banding.
label: Description (Brief)
content: This harpsichord was previously in the Morris Steinert Collection of Keyed and Stringed Instruments in New Haven, Connecticut. A Steinert catalog from the 1890’s describes this harpsichord as “formerly owned by Napoleon Bonaparte; was given, after his banishment to St. Helena, to a French sergeant, who bought it with him to this country, where he settled at Scituate, Mass. In 1833 he sold the instrument to Simon Bates, of Scituate Harbor Light, and by inheritance it passed into the hands of his son, James G. Bates, who is still alive, and from him into the possession of his daughter, Mrs. M. Wharff, now living at Gloucester, Mass., of whom M. Steinert purchased it.”
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, London
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Musical Instruments
label: See more items in
content: Music & Musical Instruments
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content: Harpsichords
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Hugo Worch
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MI.303528
label: accession number
content: 62559
label: catalog number
content: 303528
objectType: label: Object Name
content: harpsichord
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 36 3/4 in x 36 3/4 in x 87 1/4 in; 93.345 cm x 93.345 cm x 221.615 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 12 1/2 in x 36 1/2 in x 87 1/2 in; 31.75 cm x 92.71 cm x 222.25 cm