George Cousineau - French Harp, Circa 1780

This harp is the work of Georges Cousineau and his son Jacques-Georges. It is a single-action type with a mechanism consisting of pairs of tangents that shorten the strings by rotating one clockwise and the corresponding one counter-clockwise, stretching the string and raising the pitch by a semitone. This system, which was more advanced and precise than the hook system, would later be replaced by the double-action mechanism developed by Erard, both belonging to that group of builders active in Paris in the second half of the 18th century who revolutionized harp construction techniques. The soundboard of the instrument is made of spruce with fibers transversal to the axis of the soundbox. The instrument is painted dark brown and decorated with oriental motifs. The soundbox, corbel, and column are made of patinated wood, not precisely determinable due to the painting. Thirty-four strings, held by threaded iron tuning pins, and 7 pedals can be attached to the soundboard. Historical documentary object.