single manual, C-c3 (originally C/E-c3) | 8’ 8’ (originally 8’ 4’)
Case with understated decoration of russet marble-effect paintwork. The lid interior has been decorated using printed paper and the maxim ‘SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MVNDI’. The nameboard has been decorated using printed paper. The instrument has been signed on the name batten: ‘ANDREAS RUCKERS DEN OUDEN ME FECIT ANTVERPI.’. The soundboard has been painted with flowers and birds. Rose with the initials ‘A R’ (Andreas Ruckers). Painted garland around the rose. The original manual was extended at a later date to supplement the shortened octave. The controls are still present for the registers, including the buff stop. The instrument is of great informative value; it has undergone little in the way of serious refurbishment. It underwent conservation measures in 1984–5. Since 2013, the instrument has come under the protection of the Flemish Masterpieces Decree.
Provenance: The instrument was acquired by the Museum of Antiquities between 1885 and 1892 (Het Steen). Transferred to the Museum Vleeshuis in 1913.
