Spetchley - Property from the Berkeley Collection

A TWO-MANUAL HARPSICHORD BY JACOB KIRKMAN, LONDON, 1766

UK: Greenford Park WarehouseRestricted Species

Auction Closed

December 11, 04:05 PM GMT

Estimate

30,000 - 50,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

A TWO-MANUAL HARPSICHORD BY JACOB KIRKMAN, LONDON, 1766

the case veneered with burr walnut with tulipwood chevron stringing and walnut crossbanding, also veneered on the long side but with plain walnut, the main lid hinged for a nag’s head swell but without the mechanism or pedal in place, shaped brass strap hinges, the fascia boards and cheeks veneered with panels of burr walnut with extensive floral marquetry decoration, with pearwood and boxwood stringing and tulipwood crossbanding, the upper fascia board with a central musical trophy, the five octave keyboards, FF to f³ omitting FF sharp, with ivory naturals faced with boxwood mouldings and ebony accidentals, the soundboard with inset rose carved with King David playing the harp flanked by the maker’s initials I.K, five brass-knobbed hand levers controlling two 8ft stops, a 4ft stop and 8ft buff all to the lower manual, and an 8ft and 8ft lute on the upper manual, a further brass knob on the left cheek controlling the machine stop in conjunction with a pedal, with fretted music desk, on trestle stand, the lower section with cabriole legs carved with acanthus knees and lion’s paw and ball feet

Inscription on a boxwood plaque on the baton above the upper keyboard Jacobus Kirckman Londini Fecit 1766.

235.5cm. long, 93.9cm. wide, 31cm. depth of case; 7ft. 9in., 3ft. ¾in., 1ft.

This lot contains ivory and other restricted materials. Sotheby's recommends that buyers check with their own government regarding any importation requirements prior to placing a bid. Please note that Sotheby's will not assist buyers with CITES licence applications where a buyer elects to either collect or arrange their own shipping, nor will Sotheby's assist with the international movement of ivory/rhino horn by air, either as freight or through hand carry. Sotheby's shipping will only assist in shipping the lot to either domestic UK or EU destinations, where delivery is made by road transport. A buyer's inability to export or import these lots cannot justify a delay in payment or sale cancellation.

Sotheby’s London, Musical Instruments, 12November, 1920, lot 124 (unsold);

The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 37, 1920, p. 263;

Sotheby's London, Valuable [...] Musical Instruments, 5 April, 1935, lot 68;

Inventory, 1949, 'A harpsichord in burr walnut, inlaid with herringbone, fitted with dual mannals by Jacobus Kirckman, Londini fecit, 1766, standing on bold carved cabriole legs with hair-claw feet (originally the property of Marie Antoinette) [sic]' in the Drawing Room;

Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord, 1440-1840, by Donald Boalch, 1st edition, 1956

Raymond Russell,Victoria and Albert Museum, Catalogue of Musical instruments, Vol. 1, Keyboard Instruments, London, 1968, p.58;

Philip James, Early Keyboard Instruments, 1970, London, p.130;

Audrey le Liévre, Miss Willmott of Warley Place: Her Life and Her Gardens, London, 1980, p.219;

Charles Mould (ed.), Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord, 1440-1840, 1995, 3^rd edition, Donald Boalch, pp.435 & 436;

Albert R. Rice, Four Centuries of Musical Instruments, The Marlowe A. Sigal Collection, 2015, p. 14;

Charles Mould and Peter Mole, Jacob Kirkman, Harpsichord Maker to Her Majesty, 2016, p.122

This harpsichord is one of some twelve examples made by Jacob Kirkman with exceptionally elaborate casework. It is also one of two instruments by Kirkman which are contenders to have been the property of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, the other being a very similar harpsichord dated 1761 formerly in the Marlowe Sigal Collection and now in the Carolina Music Museum, Greenville, SC. However, neither instrument has any documentation to support this provenance. The earliest reference to the current harpsichord’s connection with Queen Charlotte occurs when it was offered for sale at Sotheby’s on 12^th November 1920 (The Burlington Magazine, 1920, James, 1970, Boalch, 1995). James also states that this harpsichord was made as a replacement for Queen Charlotte’s 1639 Joannes Ruckers now in the Victoria & Albert Museum (Russell, 1968). To confuse matters further it is suggested in a Sotheby’s catalogue entry footnote (see below) that the instrument in fact belonged to Princess Amelia (b. 1783, d. 1810), daughter of King George III. However, in 1969 the Archivist at Windsor Castle (Sir Robert Mackworth Young MVO) had suggested that any such connection, should it exist, would be with Princess Amelia (b. 1711, d. 1786) the daughter of King George II.

The harpsichord’s recent history is more secure. According to le Liévre the instrument was purchased by Frederick Willmott, a solicitor originally of Heston, Middlesex, around 1870 for his eldest daughter Ellen Ann Willmott (1858-1934) who was to go on to become a distinguished horticulturalist and an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society. Beyond her horticultural interest she built up a considerable collection of varied musical instruments in addition to her treasured Kirkman all of which were housed at Warley Place, Brentwood, Essex, an estate she had inherited from her father. Financial difficulties obliged her to offer the harpsichord for sale at Sotheby’s in 1920 but it failed to sell and remained in her possession until her death. The estate and the contents of the house were then sold to pay her debts. The more important musical instruments including the harpsichord were sold at Sotheby’s on 5^th April 1935. The Kirkman was purchased by Willmott’s nephew Captain Robert Berkeley and has remained at Spetchley Park until the present.