The first known instance of a harpsichord?

The earliest reference to a harpsichord-like instrument is in the writings of the 14th-century Arabic musicologist al-Andalusi. He described an instrument called the santūr that was similar to a harpsichord in that it had strings plucked by quills. However, the santūr had a trapezoidal shape and was played by laying it flat on a table. The earliest known depiction of a harpsichord-shaped instrument is in a painting by the Italian artist Paolo Uccello from the 1460s. This painting shows a woman playing a harpsichord with a rectangular case and a keyboard.