1624 I R Ioannes Ruckers

1624 I R Ioannes Ruckers, 1624, aligned petit ravalement of a normal double-manual harpsichord, Le musée des Unterlinden, Colmar, France.

Present Compass: G1 , A 1 to d3.

Case dimensions: length 2237mm; width 789mm; height       267mm   with, 254mm without the baseboard; keywell 763mm.

   General description: The instrument is not signed by Ruckers and the present rose was made by the author . But from the construction and decorative points of view, there can be no doubt that the harpsichord is by Ioannes Ruckers. The records of the de Sade family, who owned the harpsichord until recently, indicate that there has been a Ruckers harpsichord among the family's effects since the eighteenth century. The instrument went through an initial alignment giving it a compass of Gl/B1 to C3 with the original Ruckers string spacing; later it was given a petit ravalement compass ofG1, Al to d3 by decreasing the string and key spacing to give a three-octave span of 472mm, and by a slight increase in the width of the keyframes. The lower-manual keyblocks were removed and the upper-manual keyblocks were sawn in half to serve as the new keyblocks for both manuals. In the process of these alterations the nuts were replaced and new key­boards were made.

The original pictures of the 1624 I R Ioannes Ruckers

 

 

Literature: There are no references to this instrument in the literature.

Former owners: Comte Xavier de Sade, Condé en Brie; Alan Rubin, London.