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Harp

Wood, of modern 'Irish' form, painted in green and gold with shamrocks; strings missing. Wooden harp of the modern 'Irish' form, curved pillar, rounded back, 4 sound holes. 37 wire strings (all missing, tag ends of some remain), no form of sharping mechanism. There is a metal strengthening plate beneath the neck. The pillar is attached to the sound box by means of a bolt which passes through the pillar and into a rounded block of wood at the base of the soundboard. The harp is painted with geen shamrocks up the soundboard above the Royal Arms and maker's inscription, gold shamrocks up the sides of the soundbox, between the soundholes, and all along the neck and pillar. The soundholes are edged with gold; the feet are carved as lion's paws, and there is a gold edging round the base of the soundbox. All strings have stationary nuts, those for the fifth to sixteenth strings from the top have been relocated slightly lower than they were originally, and there appears to be some form of wedging inserte din the tuning pin holes to prevent the pins pushing through too far.

  • Maker:
    Egan, John [Person]
  • Collection:
    Fitzwilliam Museum
  • Inventory number:
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  • Place of production:
    Dublin (Timezone: Europe/Dublin)
  • Culture:
  • Period:
  • Materials:
  • Specific materials/techniques:
  • Decorative elements:
  • Inscriptions:maker's mark; on each side of soundboard; painted; J EGAN & SON./30 DAWSON ST./DUBLIN./HARPMAKERS/TO HIS MAJESTY/& the ROYAL FAMILY/NO. 2044; Royal Arms above the inscription in which the T of ST. is underlined and raised
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:
  • Repository:Fitzwilliam Museum
  • Measurements:height, whole, 153, cm. width, shoulder to column, 67, cm. width, sound board, 40, cm