Nicholas Dumont was an important Parisian harpsichord maker who was active from 1675 until at least 1707. He was married in 1673 and became a master in the guild of instrument makers in 1675. The French court still owned three Dumonts in 1780.
 Three Dumont double manual harpsichords are known to survive, dated 1697 (Paris, Conservatoire, Musée Instrumentale), 1704 (Paris, private collection) and 1707. The 1707 instrument is one of the earliest examples of what became the standard 18th century Parisian harpsichord.
This harpsichord was in the Chateau du Touvet in Isere since 1719 when the records of the de Quinsonas family show it was purchased for their country estate. At the time of the revolution it was tucked away in the granary of the chateau until it was rediscovered in the 1970's and restored by Hubert Bedard in 1976. Despite 80-odd years of service, 180 years in the granary and two restorations, the 1707 Dumont is in surprisingly original condition. Musically it represents the transition between the lute-inspired harpsichord sound of 17th century Paris and the viola da gamba-inspired sound of the 18th century.
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THE INSTRUMENTS 
