Figure 5.—Interior of polygonal virginal. a, lining; b, wrest plank; c, rib; d, jack guide; e, knee; f, rack. Broken lines indicate positions of corner blocks and brace under wrest plank. Scale, 1:8.
Figure 6.—Soundboard layout of polygonal virginal. Scale, 1:8.
Figure 7.—Ridolfi harpsichord removed from case.
Figure 8.—Cross section of Ridolfi harpsichord. a, bottom; b, knee; c, lining; d, soundboard. Scale, 1:2.
The Typical Italian Harpsichord
The instrument chosen to illustrate the stylistic features of the Italian harpsichord is also in the collection of the U.S. National Museum. This harpsichord, purchased for the Museum in 1892 by Dr. G. Brown Goode, was made in 1665 by Giacomo Ridolfi, who claimed Girolamo Zenti as his teacher. The inscription on the nameboard reads "Jacobus Rodolphus Hieronymi de Zentis Discipulus MDCLXV Facieba."
Like the virginal described above, this harpsichord is separable from its outer case. The outer case rests on a separate stand consisting of three gilt cupids and a floral garland. Since the painted decoration of this case is not original, another outer case, belonging to a harpsichord made by Horatius Albana in 1633, was selected for the illustration (fig. 1).