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Interest in early nineteenth-century pedal harps has grown over the past twenty years. The 1994 International Harp Symposium (IHS), marking the 200th anniversary of Sébastien Erard's (1752-1831) single-action harp patent, included an examination by Rudolf Frick of Erard's Swiss origins, and an assessment by Rainer Thurau of Erard's harp action.1 A 1995 article by this author shows, by reference to Charles Groll's 1807 patent for doubleaction harp with fourchettes, that Groll was the first to develop a double-action version of the single harp action patented by Erard in 1794.2 Ann Griffiths's biography of Erard examines the Erard family and company.3 Moira Bonnington's genealogical study of the Haarnack harp-making family, using trade directories, census information and newspapers, is the first to investigate a nineteenth-century London maker other than Erard.4 Mike Parker's Child of Pure Harmony discusses developments in single-action harp design in relation to playing technique.5 Robert Adelson, Alain Roudier and Francis Duvernay's 'Rediscovering Cousineau's Fourteen-Pedal Harp' examines a recently rediscovered instrument and identifies Cousineau as the originator of the double action (an accolade erroneously attributed since 1810 to Sébastien Erard) as early as 1782;6 and letters from Pierre Erard (1794-1855) in London to Sébastien in Paris have been the focus of research culminating in their publication.7
An exhibition at Le Palais de Lascaris in 2011 celebrated the bicentenary of the registration of Erard's 1810 double-action patent.8 An article by Jenny Nex in the catalogue of that exhibition traces the introduction of the double-action harp in London through the analysis of the Erard ledgers; and ongoing work by Nex examines Erard's workshop accounts (1807-1809).9 The present article, which forms part of a larger research project centred on the Erat papers, is the first detailed assessment of early nineteenth-century harp decoration.10
THE ERAT COMPANY AND DOCUMENTS
The author's discovery in 2007 of a substantial body of documents pertaining to the Erat company, comprising an accounts journal (1821-1824), cashbook (1821-1826), inventory (1824), property leases (1812, 1816 and 1821), and the last will and testament of Jacob Erat (i) (1768-1821), opens a window on a major London harp manufactory during the 1820s.11 These documents, catalogued as 'Master Home's exhibits: Sharp versus Erat', were retained after a chancery court case between George Sharp (one of the executors of Erat's estate)...