Made by Jan Couchet the Elder / Harpsichord / ca. 1650

Made by Jan Couchet the Elder
Harpsichord
ca. 1650
View Larger Image

View Full Catalog Record Below

This image is one of over 108,000 from the AMICA Library (formerly The Art Museum Image Consortium Library- The AMICO Library™), a growing online collection of high-quality, digital art images from over 20 museums around the world. www.davidrumsey.com/amica offers subscriptions to this collection, the finest art image database available on the internet. EVERY image has full curatorial text and can be studied in depth by zooming into the smallest details from within the Image Workspace.

Preview the AMICA Library™ Public Collection in Luna Browser Now

Cultures and time periods represented range from contemporary art, to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works.
Types of works include paintings, drawings, watercolors, sculptures, costumes, jewelry, furniture, prints, photographs, textiles, decorative art, books and manuscripts.

Gain access to this incredible resource through either a monthly or a yearly subscription and search the entire collection from your desktop, compare multiple images side by side and zoom into the minute details of the images. Visit www.davidrumsey.com/amica for more information on the collection, click on the link below the revolving thumbnail to the right, or email us at amica@luna-img.com .

Creator Name: Couchet, Jan
Creator Role: Maker
Creator Name-CRT: Made by Jan Couchet the Elder
Title: Harpsichord
Title Type: Object name
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1640
Creation End Date: 1660
Creation Date: ca. 1650
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Classification Term: Chordophone/plucked
Materials and Techniques: Wood, various materials
Dimensions: L. 90 1/8 in. (229 cm); W. 33 1/4 in. (85.8 cm); D. 10 1/2 in. (26.9 cm); 3-octave span 19 3/4 in. (50.1 cm); Sounding L. (longer than 8 ft. choir-plucking points) 8 ft. 4 in. (254 cm) (where quill plucks the string); FF 169.3 (15.1) 92.5 (5.9), c2 33.1 (6.1) 15.3 (2.8), c3 16.9 (4.4) 7.7 (2.5)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 89.4.2363
Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

Jan Couchet the Elder was the grand-nephew of the famous Flemish keyboard maker Hans Ruckers. Couchet carried on the Ruckers tradition, inheriting the workshop of Ruckers's eldest son in 1643. This harpsichord originally had only one keyboard and one set each of unison and octave strings. In the eighteenth century the case was lengthened and a second keyboard and a second set of unison strings were added. The number of rows of jacks was increased from two to four: a close-plucking "lute stop" that plucks one set of unison strings from the upper keyboard, a second row that plucks the other set of unison strings and is operated from both keyboards, a third row that plucks the octave strings, and a fourth row that plucks the same strings as the lute stop. Both the first and the fourth rows divide at middle C, so that it is possible to play the lute stop in the treble from the upper keyboard while playing the farthest unison in the bass from the lower keyboard or vice versa.

AMICA ID: MMA_.89.4.2363
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

AMICA PUBLIC RIGHTS: a) Access to the materials is granted for personal and non-commercial use. b) A full educational license for non-commercial use is available from Cartography Associates at www.davidrumsey.com/amica/institution_subscribe.html c) Licensed users may continue their examination of additional materials provided by Cartography Associates, and d) commercial rights are available from the rights holder.