Folding Harpsichord 1700 - 1800

Curator: This intriguing photograph captures a folding harpsichord, an object dating back to the 18th century. It currently resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Well, it's arresting, isn't it? So austere, so black and white. It looks like a secret weapon from a Jane Austen novel. Is that melodramatic? Sorry. Curator: Not at all. Its austere quality comes partially from the constraints around musical instrument production, even for luxury goods. The socio-political context often regulated materials. Can you see the elegance of its design attempting to overcome functional considerations? Editor: Absolutely! It's an instrument that folds! It's ingenious. One can imagine lugging this along in a carriage… but maybe I'm just lost in a Merchant Ivory film. But what about its baroque characteristics? I do sense something… theatrical here? Curator: The Baroque influence is palpable in the instrument's ornamentation, although perhaps it appears subdued through the photograph, or given the functional innovation of a 'folding' design. At this time, patronage from wealthy families and the church shaped the landscape of art, which impacted instrument building. Editor: Right, right, the patrons... it all trickles down. What a paradox: revolutionary for being compact but restrained by money folks and tradition! Makes a musician kinda revolutionary, don't you think? Defying some grand drawing room where everyone pretends to have the same feelings! Curator: The ability to adapt art to varied circumstances, that is, playing chamber music for your village green, would grant greater public engagement to the fine art practices otherwise locked inside royal courts. Editor: A democratic harpsichord! Well I didn't see that coming. A folding harpsichord designed to avoid social mores--what could be better? Thank you, now I have a clear picture. Curator: Indeed. The instrument exemplifies the interplay between aristocratic display and burgeoning practicality. Its visual elegance reminds us of broader shifts in both art and society during its time.