Bentside spinet by Joseph Harris, London, 1757, the lid and ...

Estimate

£3,000 - £5,000

Bentside spinet by Joseph Harris, London, 1757, the lid and fallboard of walnut with holly stringing, the lid with shaped brass strap-hinges, the sides with panels of walnut with holly stringing and rosewood crossbanding, the fascia-board and cheeks veneered ensuite, the soundboard with a later painted rose, the five-octave keyboard, GG to g3, with ivory naturals with arcaded facings and ebony accidentals, with two brass-knobbed hand-stops, one a later replacement controlling the buff stop split between the naturals and the accidentals, the trestle stand with the upper part of turned baluster form and the lower of cabriole form terminating in claw and ball feet, inscribed in gilt letters at the top of the fascia-board JOSEPH HARRIS LONDON and the bottom MDCCLVII on a dark grey ground, length 75", 190.5cm

*Ivory submission reference DS7VNV5R

More Information

CONDITION REPORT November 2024

Lot 2508

HARRIS SPINET Bentside Spinet by Joseph Harris, London, 1757

Details:

Later soundboard painting (see JAMES plate XXX1)

The lid and fallboard of walnut with holly stringing, the lid with shaped brass strap-hinges, the sides with panels of walnut with holly stringing and rosewood crossbanding, the fascia-board and cheeks veneered ensuite, the soundboard with a later painted rose.

Five-octave keyboard, GG to g3, with ivory naturals with arcaded facings and ebony accidentals, with two brass-knobbed hand-stops, one a later replacement controlling the divided buff stop.

The trestle stand, with the upper part of turned baluster form and the lower of cabriole form terminating in claw and ball feet, inscribed in gilt letters at the top of the fascia-board: JOSEPH HARRIS LONDON and the bottom MDCCLVII on a dark grey ground.

Length 75", 190.5cm.

Interesting label on reverse of nameboard – see ‘Friends of square pianos’ notes on the auction page.

Condition:

Tuned at A415 Hz in October 2024. Stable tuning and tuning pins well fitting. Two broken plectra. Two weak jack springs stopping full function of these two notes - otherwise all keys in working order. The jacks are a mix of partly old and partly modern. Fine regulation and voicing required. Casework: Small amount of veneer trim missing from edge of case at right hand side. The cosmetics have been compromised where wooden trenails have been pierced through casework to support the hitch plank on a previous repair. Although unsightly, this repair, presumed carried out in the 1919 restoration by H.J. Ingram, does appear successful in terms of structural stability and the hitch plank does looks well connected to case sides.

Case rather scratched and faded with a poorly repaired lid. Bridge seems well glued. Slight dipping of soundboard in treble area.

Scaling:

BN (GG) 1,516

CC 1,410

C 972

c 529

c’ 274

c” 137

TN (g”’) 92

Spine length: 189cm

3 octave measurement: 491mm

Observations noted in the condition report are based on obvious signs to the naked eye from an experienced restorer. They are designed for quick analysis of their condition, leaving interested parties to carry out their own personal inspection. Please note that actions have not been removed from instruments.