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During 2017 the harps of the Music Museum of Barcelona have undergone two improvement processes: first, we have renewed the identification images by photographer Eduard Selva, already available in the online catalogue. And second, we have performed restoration actions in 11 of these harps, prioritizing above all the fixation of polychromy and wood, by Mónica Cantero.

Going to a specific example and with final surprise, we have a harp built in London in 1807 by Sébastien Érard, and which the Museum acquired in 1947. As for the organological description, this chromatic pitch harp has the harmonic table of pine and the rest of the wood box is painted in black; the harness has 44 buttons (for 44 strings) of dark wood (probably ebony); the column has a statue in black and gold. The decorations are of the called Greek model, the capital is carved and gilded and decorated with vegetable motifs and with three heads of ram. It has 5 acoustic openings and 8 pedals. The base on which the instrument rests was in very bad condition and had a strong attack of xylophagous insects, these have caused that the structure has weakened, and have also affected the conservation of polychromy. Losses of support and parts with danger of detachment are observed, and therefore the base does not have enough consistency to support the weight of the harp.

The consolidation was done with acrylic resin injected into the cracks. The fixation of polychromy has been made from animal glue by impregnation with Japanese paper. Adhesion of loose fragments has been done with cold animal glue. Two legs have been glued with problems of screwing to the base, so weakened that the pressure could fragment it. The base has been dismantled to reinforce it with wood and, thus, it has been possible to clean the metal mechanism and the pedals by mechanical cleaning with wool, steel and ethanol.

But to our surprise, not everything ends here: when removing the base to restore it, we could see that the harp harmonic box hid a mask. All hypotheses about how and when it got there, or who it belonged to are absolutely open to the imagination.