Virginal (Polygonal) by Karest, I

The virginal by Ioes Karest  holds a special place in the history of keyboard instruments. Dated 1548, it is the oldest known Flemish virginal and one of the very few surviving examples of the polygonal form. Although only a handful of such instruments have survived, their popularity in the mid-sixteenth century is documented in contemporary paintings, including self-portraits by Catharina van Hemessen and family portraits by Frans Floris and Cornelis de Zeeuw, in which similar instruments are prominently depicted.

The maker's signature, Ioes Karest, appears on the nameboard above the keyboard. Karest was born in Cologne, probably shortly before 1500, and is recorded as a citizen of Antwerp by 1517. His work belongs to the formative period of Flemish keyboard instrument making, several decades before the emergence of the celebrated Ruckers dynasty that would later establish Antwerp as one of Europe's leading centres of harpsichord production.

Photo Credit: Quine, Wikicommons