BY JACOB AND ABRAHAM KIRCKMAN, LONDON

Details

A GEORGE III TWO-MANUAL MAHOGANY, FEATHERBANDED AND SATINWOOD HARPSICHORD
BY JACOB AND ABRAHAM KIRCKMAN, LONDON
With an outer case veneered with book-matched mahogany panels within chevron-strung borders and mahogany cross-banding, the lid with replaced shaped brass strap hinges, the facia and interior cheeks re-veneered with satinwood, holly and ebony stringing and kingwood crossbanding, the later keyboards of five octaves, GG to g3, with arcaded ivory naturals and skunktail ebony and ivory accidentals, the original Kirckman soundboard with inset gilt rose pierced and carved with King David playing the harp flanked by the maker's initials 'I.K.', five brass-knobbed hand stops now controlling the front 8ft and 8ft lute stop on the upper manual with later shove coupler, and back 8ft, buff and 4ft stops on the lower manual, a brass knob on the left cheek and the pedal controlling the machine stop, period mahogany music desk, on original trestle stand, the name batten with replaced inscription 'Jacobus et Abraham Kirckman Londini fecerunt 1787', the hinged front flap and top front flap possibly replacements; together with a modern piano stool
37 in. (94 cm.) high, closed; 39 in. (99 cm.) wide; 94 in. (238.5 cm.) long

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country. Following the auction, this lot will be stored at Crozier Park Royal and will be available for collection from 12.00pm on the second business day after the sale. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crozier Park Royal. All collections from Crozier Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 I Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Amelia Walker Director, Specialist Head of Private & Iconic Collections

awalker@christies.com +44 20 7389 2085

Lot Essay

Jacob Kirckman (d. 1792) of Broad Street, Harpsichord Maker to Queen Charlotte, was born in 1710 near Strasbourg. He emigrated in the 1730s to England, where he worked for Hermann Tabel, a German harpsichord maker. 'Kirckman worked with the celebrated Tabel as his foreman and finisher till the time of his death. Soon after which... Kirckman married his master's widow [circa 1738], by which prudent measure he became possessed of all of Tabel's seasoned wood, tools and stock in trade...' (D. Boalch, Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord 1440-1940, New York, 1956, p. 60). Kirckman became the most prolific harpsichord maker in England and arguably the most renowned. He went into partnership with his nephew, Abraham Kirckman (d. 1794) in 1772, and died at Greenwich in 1792. Kirckman's success and prestigious name inevitably led to jealousy and imitation and in 1771 he brought an action against Robert Falkener for trying to sell one of his own instruments as a genuine Kirckman. This same year, Kirckman was commissioned to make a harpsichord for the sculptor John Bacon (d. 1799), which is now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Another, dated 1772, by both Jacob and his nephew Abraham was acquired by Cecilia, Countess of Strathmore.

We are very grateful to Mimi S. Waitzman, Acting Principal Curator of Musical Collections and Cultures, The Horniman Museum and Gardens, London, for her assistance with the cataloguing of this lot.

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