Harpsichord
Maker
Hugh Gough
Date1980
Place MadeNew York City, New York, United States, North America
ModelGiusti 2 X 8
SignedNoneMarkingsKeylevers numberd in black inkDescriptionBased on the 1693 Italian harpsichord attributed to Joannes Baptista Giusti, Lucca, Italy, at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, MI.326904, but with a slightly expanded compass.Inner outer case construction. GG-d3 compass, 2 x 8'.
Material:
Linden key levers; boxwood naturals with semicircular arcades; sharps of walnut with ebony keytops.
Case walls and moldings of cypress; wrestplank of walnut in three plies of alternating grain orientation.
Molded nut of walnut. Soundboard of quartered-sawed spruce; molded bridge of walnut, bent to its curve.
Outer case painted green with figurative interior decoration by Sheridan German. Turned wood legs.DimensionsHarpsichord: 2396 mm long by 876 mm wide (excluding moldings); 216 mm high
Keyboard width: 796.5 mm
Wrestplank depth, bass: 200 mm; treble: 165 mm
Total height in case: 910 mm
3-octave measure: 507 mm
Natural head length: 36.5 mm
Natural head width: 23 mm
Sharp length: 75.5 mm
String lengths and plucking points:
GG: back register: 1921.5 mm; 173; front register: 1920.5 mm; 153 mm
C: back register: 1890 mm; 168.5; front register: 1839 mm; 149 mm
F: back register: 1544 mm; 157; front register: 1491 mm; 138 mm
c: back register: 1108 mm; 142; front register: 1056.5 mm; 123 mm
f: back register: 847 mm; 132; front register: 808 mm; 112 mm
c1: back register: 555 mm; 115; front register: 527 mm; 96 mm
f1: back register: 408 mm; 102.5; front register: 390 mm; 84 mm
c2: back register: 275.5 mm; 85.5; front register: 264 mm; 66.5 mm
f2: back register: 208 mm; 74.5; front register: 199 mm; 54 mm
c3: back register: 139.5 mm; 58.5; front register: 132.5 mm; 37 mm
d3: back register: 124 mm; 53.5; front register: 118 mm; 34 mm
ProvenanceCommissioned new by the donor.
Credit LineGift of C. David Harris, 2025
Object number15905
On View
Not on view
1625-1675 ca.
1780 ca.