Paris 1747 harpsichord – £38,000 at Gardiner Houlgate.
With a documented provenance and inscribed by the maker Sébastien Garnier, Paris, 1747, a two-manual harpsichord was the top performer at the latest musical instruments sale held by Corsham, Bath, specialist Gardiner Houlgate (20% buyer’s premium).
The 7ft 8in (2.33m) long instrument cased in pearwood and mahogany featured panels variously painted en grisaille with ruined castles, and sprays of flowers. The soundboard had been later gilded, pierced and carved with a naked female holding an hourglass.