Overall view of Cristofori harpsichord with lid closed. The artwork is the subject of a forthcoming article by art historian George Knox, An Italian Harpsichord: and the Searching for Nicolo Guardi. A quote from the third paragraph: "Thus while the inside of the lid of the instrument is decorated with a design after Tiepolo, the exterior is entirely painted with decorations in the manner of Francesco Guardi. There is no concensus about the dating of the four vedute by Francesco, and no obvious factor to link them together, except perhaps the possibility that all four paintings, and the harpsichord might have been together in the Colloredo Mels collection. There can be hardly any doubt that the decoration of the harpsichord is the work of the Guardi bottega, since it would seem that no one outside the workshop would have had any reason to make copies of the vedute between say 1765 and 1785." The article goes on to suggest that Francesco's younger brother Nicolo, an esimio pittore di camera (essentially, an interior decorator) is the hand we are looking for.