Clavichord; octave clavichord

Clavichord designed to sound at octave pitch. Triple fretted, with a compass of C/E to c3, short octave. The ebonised case is dovetailed at the corner joints. The fronts of the keys are decorated with embossed paper. The letters ‘MW’ are scratched on the soundboard. There is a hand-written label under the keys in 18th-century German. The text is: "Johann Christoph Leo Chur fürstl. Mayntzisch. Bambergisch. wie auch hoch fürstl. Brandenburgisch. Onoltzbach. Hoff- und Landt orgel inspector. Nürnberg bey Herrn Herdegen [?] Materialisten zu erfragen" Loosely translated: "Johann Christoph Leo, Court and County Organ inspector to the Electors of Mainz, Bamberg, and also his Highness the princely elector of Brandenburg [and] Ansbach. For materials in Nurnberg, enquire at Mr Herdegen[?]." The label may be from the maker, or equally likely, it may have been glued into the instrument as a kind of calling card. The instrument possesses an outer case with a lid and a flap at one side. On the outer case are pasted a Royal Society of Musicians label and a bookplate with the initials WLHC.