The case painted with classical landscapes against a blue ground, the upper right corner of the painted panel stamped 'COUSINEAU / RUE DE / POULIES / A PARIS' and further inscribed 'COUSINEAU.LUTHIER.DE.LA.REINE.'
64 in. (162.5 cm.) high, 29 in. (73.7 cm.) wide

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Lot Essay

Jacques-Georges Cousineau (1760-1824), patriarch of the celebrated harp-making family, became the preeminent harp-manufacturer in the eighteenth century and was appointed as the Luthier-in-Ordinary to Marie-Antoinette in 1775. From 1780 to 1811 he also was a harpist at the Paris Opera and published a 'Method' for harp in 1784. The Cousineau firm pioneered harp mechanisms and playability, including technical tuning improvements that enabled the harp to play in all keys.
Cousineau harps can be found in most major museum collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and Malmaison, which houses Empress Josephine's harp. A harp by Cousineau Père et Fils with similar carving and vernis martin decoration is in the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no. 52.105).