Girolamo Zenti

Girolamo Zenti (ca. 1609/11, Viterbo, Italy — ca. 1666, Paris, France) was an Italian harpsichord maker and organ builder, cited as the probable inventor of "bentside spinet" and notable for vast geography of his oeuvre, with existing records of Zenti active at royal courts in Rome (c.1638/48; 1660), Stockholm (1652–56), Paris (1660–c.62; 1666), and London (1664). Name variations: Girolama de Zenti, Gerolamo de Sentis, Hieronymus de Zentis Zenti apprenticed in Rome with his uncle, renowned master Giuseppe Boni 'il Cortona' (ca. 1629—1702). After Boni passed away in 1641, Girolamo took over the workshop and served a noble Barberini family; while in Rome, he supplied two harpsichord stands for the 1642 production of Luigi Rossi's opera Il Palazzo Incantato. In 1653, Girolamo Zenti took a commission at the Swedish court, serving Christina, Queen of Sweden (1626—1689) for several years. Circa 1656, Girolamo Zenti returned to Rome and established a prolific workshop near the Ospedale di St. Spirito, the oldest European hospital, which employed such renowned makers, as Giovanni Battista Giusti and Giacomo Ridolfi. In 1664, Girolamo Zenti briefly served as the King's virginal maker at the recently "restored" court of Charles II (1630—1685), returning to Rome the same year. Zenti relocated to Paris shortly after, where he died circa 1666. Despite the lack of definitive proof, Girolamo Zenti is widely regarded as the inventor of "bentside spinet," also known as "espinette á l'italienne" (a compact type of instrument with diagonal string placement) — since the earliest extant specimen is attributed to Zenti. [u]Girolamo Zenti instruments[/u] 1622 Harpsichord at The Cobbe Collection Trust in Guilford, UK. Compass: C/E–c3, short octave 1631 Bentside Spinet at Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium. Compass: C/E–c3, short octave 1633 Harpsichord, owner and present location unknown ca.1640/68 Triangular Octave Spinet at Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York, USA. Compass: g–c3 1653 Harpsichord at University of Leipzig's Grassi Museum in Leipzig, Germany 1656 Harpsichord at Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium. Compass: C–e3(A) °1658 Harpsichord at Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany. Compass: C–f3; the original build was ruined by a notorious Italian antique dealer and fraudster, Leopoldo Franciolini (1844—1920), who installed two extra keyboards. 1658 Harpsichord at Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York, USA. Compass: C/E–f3, short octave; restored by Giovanni Ferrini (1698—1758). A single manual, 2x8' instrument, with the inscription: "HIERONYMUS ZENTI FECIT ROMAE A.S. MDCLXVI/ JOANNES FERRINI FLORENTINVS RESTAVRAVIT MDCCLV" 1666 Harpsichord at Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York, USA. Compass: AA–f3 1668 Harpsichord at Cité de la Musique in Paris, France. Compass: GG–e3