François-Étienne Blanchet

Fran\u00e7ois-\u00c9tienne Blanchet (c. 1700\u20131761) was a prominent French harpsichord maker of the Baroque era. He was part of a family of instrument makers in Paris. Nicolas Blanchet, his father, was the first in the family to make instruments, and he partnered with Fran\u00e7ois the Elder after 1722. They largely produced instruments based on the models of the Flemish Ruckers family.1

Fran\u00e7ois the Elder's son, also named Fran\u00e7ois (the Younger), continued the family business. The Blanchet workshop was known for rebuilding and enlarging earlier instruments, particularly those by Ruckers, and for making improvements to harpsichord construction. Their instruments are noted for their craftsmanship and even touch. The harpsichord itself is a keyboard instrument where strings are plucked, and it was a significant instrument in European music from the 16th to the mid-18th century.123