Giovanni Battista Giusti

Giovanni Battista Giusti (ca. 1624, Lucca, Tuscany — ca. 1693), or "Joannes Baptista Justi," was an Italian harpsichord maker. Only scarce historiographical sources exist, including a church registry listing "Joannes Baptista, son of the late Antonio Justi of Lucca" uncovered in 1989 by Italian musicologist Patrizio Barbieri. Between 1648 and 1664, he apprenticed with a renowned master Giuseppe Boni 'il Cortona' (ca. 1629—1702), subsequently working under Girolamo Zenti (ca. 1609—ca. 1666), before Giusti opened his atelier in Lucca, active between 1676 and 1693. According to other sources, Giovanni worked in Rome. Around 12 to 20 extant instruments are currently attributed to Giusti, with at least half generally regarded as counterfeit; particularly, an infamous Italian antique dealer and fraudster, Leopoldo Franciolini (1844—1920), produced many blatant "Giusti" fakes. [u]Giovanni Battista Giusti instruments[/u] 1673 Harpsichord, owner and present location unknown 1676 Harpsichord at University of Leipzig's Grassi Museum in Leipzig, Germany. Compass: GG/BB–c3, short octave 1676 Harpsichord, owner and present location unknown 1677 Harpsichord, at Museumsverband Schleswig-Holstein & Hamburg in Rendsburg, Germany; remodeled in France circa 1730s in a lustrously painted case with engravings by Claude Gillot, Antoine Watteau, and Peter Paul Rubens. 1677 Harpsichord at Händel-Haus in Halle, Germany. Compass: C/E–c3, short octave 1677 Harpsichord at Stadtisches Museum in Flensburg, Germany 1679 Virginal, private owner in Bologna, Italy; characterized by unusual disposition for Italian harpsichords, with two 8'- and one 4'-stops. 1679 Harpsichord, formerly owned by Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini in Bologna, Italy. Compass: GG/AA–c3, short octave 1681 Harpsichord at Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg, Germany. Compass: C/E–c3, short octave 1681 Harpsichord, owned by John Koster in Vermillion, South Dakota, USA. Compass: C/Ed3, short octave (originally, C/E–c3) 1693 Harpsichord at Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., United States. Compass: GG, AA–c3 16?? Harpsichord at Musikinstrumenten Museum in Berlin, Germany; property of Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Compass: C/E–c3, short octave