Harp

Double action pedal harp, with fourchette ('fork') mechanism. 44 strings of twisted gut, probably original, eight brass pedals. The body is of wood, painted black and gold. The soundboard is varnished light brown, and gilded with seven musical trophies. The back of the soundbox has five shutters. Opened using the eighth pedal, these amplify the sound. The fluted forepillar is carved with leaves in the lower quarter. The moulded decoration at the top and bottom of the pillar is in the Grecian style, with winged caryatids surmounted by a frieze of gryphons playing lyres, and two fish-tailed horses (hippokampoi) at the base. The neck is curved with brass plates concealing the action. A brass panel covering the harp's mechanism bears the inscription: 'PATENT HARP, INVENTED BY / J. A. Stumpff, LONDON / Great Portland Str. Portland Place'. Another inscription reads: 'Maker/TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN'.