Though housed in a beautiful case, this fortepiano itself is of quite a modest appearance. This modesty belies the fact that it is one of the most valuable and important instruments in the museum's collection. Its builder signed himself "Bartolomeo Cristofori ... Inventor." The fortepiano here is indeed one of the oldest fortepianos in the world. The piano shares many similarities with that of a modern concert grand, though it sounds much softer and looks rather like an Italian harpsichord. Three fortepianos by Cristofori have survived. The original features of the one here are the best preserved. It is thus an especially important instrument for scholars of the piano's early history.
