Object Type
A spinet is a small harpsichord with oblique strings. When placed in a box, without legs, it is known as a virginal. The decoration of this instrument, popularly known as 'Queen Elizabeth's virginals' closely resembles a spinet made in 1571 by Benedictus Florianus of Venice (now in the Museum of Musical Instruments in Leipzig). It is lacquered and decorated with Islamic motifs, like other pieces of furniture made in Venice at the time. But the moulding is far closer to that used by Giovanni Baffo, also of Venice. The date 1594 was discovered on the jack-rail of the instrument.
People
The spinet almost certainly belonged to Elizabeth I. It bears the royal coat of arms and the falcon holding a sceptre, the private emblem of her mother, Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth is reported to have played 'excellently well...when she was solitary, to shun melancholy'.
Time
During Elizabeth's reign (1558-1603), some of England's greatest composers flourished, including Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. At the time, the best spinets came from Italy, particularly Venice. Spinets were considered more ladylike than lutes, as the player had less risk of developing rounded shoulders.
Place
The spinet was almost certainly imported from Venice but it cannot be associated with any specific royal palace. Having left the Royal Household soon after the death of Elizabeth, it resurfaced in 1798 at Fisherwick Park, Staffordshire.
Physical description
Virginal, Painted cypress wood case and soundboard, parchment rosette, ebony and bone certosina keys.
Place of Origin
Venice, Italy (made)
Oxford, England (restored)
Date
1594 (made)
1961 (restored)
Artist/maker
Baffo, Giovanni (probably, maker)
Douglas, Andrew (restorer)
Materials and Techniques
Cypress case, soundboard and jacks; decorated with parchment, gilding, painting and inlay
Marks and inscriptions
1594
Dimensions
Length: 190 cm, Width: 40.4 cm, Depth: 19 cm
Descriptive line
The Queen Elizabeth Virginal, painted cypress wood case and soundboard, ebony and bone certosina keys, by Giovanni Baffo?, Venice, Italy, 1594.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Wilk, Christopher, ed. . Western Furniture 1350 to the Present Day. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. 230p., ill. ISBN 085667463X.
Baker, Malcolm and Richardson, Brenda, eds. A Grand Design : The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 1997. 431 p., ill. ISBN 1851773088.
The connection of objects to historical figures has often been based purely on legend and wishful thinking, but the Queen Elizabeth Virginal is an exception. Very similar to a Venetian example of 1571, it is decorated with both the royal coat of arms of the Tudors and the raven with the sceptre, the personal emblem of Queen Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558-1603). Since Elizabeth was noted for her ability to play keyboard instruments "excellently well," it is quite possible that she used this very instrument. It was acquired in 1887 partly on account of these associations but also because of its musicological interest. Its similarity to Italian spinets had been noted some thirteen years earlier by Carl Engel, the Museum's consultant musical specialist, in a period when musical instruments were acquired in their own right. The 1960s ushered in a revival of early music and with it an interest in early instruments; during this period, the V&A catalogued its musical collections and put them on display. Playable replicas of this virginal are much sought after by early keyboard specialists.
Lit. Engel, 1874, pp. 349-50; Russell, 1968, pp. 36-7; Schott, 1985, pp. 29-31; Starkey, 1991, p. 105; Wilk, 1996, p. 42
JAMES YORKE
Ralph Denzil Wraight: The Stringing of Itaian keyboard instruments, c. 1500 - 1650. Part Two, Catalogue of Instruments (Unpublished PhD thesis submitted to Belfast University, September 1996.
Howard Schott: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part I: Keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), pp. 29-31.
Nanke Schellmann: "The Queen Elizabeth's Virginal, Scribbles, Scratches and Sgraffoto", , Autumn 2002, No. 42, pp. 9-11.
Exhibition History
A Grand Design - The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum 12/10/1999-16/01/2000)
Labels and date
British Galleries:
The painter decorated this spinet with the Queen's devices, including the falcon, the sceptre and the royal coat of arms. Elizabeth inherited the sceptre symbol from her mother, Anne Boleyn (about 1501-1536). Several contemporaries recorded that she was an excellent keyboard player and it is possible that she played on this very instrument. The painting illustrated shows Elizabeth dancing with Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (about 1532-1588). [27/03/2003]
Production Note
The instrument bears a similarity to a virginal by Benedictus Flrianus in Leipzig, dated 1571. However, the researches by Denzil Wraight, and comparisons of mouldings on Baffo instruments point to an attribution by Giovanni Baffo.
Subjects depicted
Coat of arms; Rosette; Sceptre; Moresques; Falcon; Certosina
Categories
Furniture; Woodwork; Royalty; Musical instruments
Collection code
FWK
