A spinet is a small, wing-shaped keyboard instrument, that plays like a harpsichord. It was developed in Italy during the 1630s and first appeared in England during the 1660s. The instruments made by John Player, a London builder, are amongst the earliest surviving English examples. Whereas its predecessor, the virginal, was played on a table, the spinet was often set on a stand, like this example. The main advantage was that the spinet player could apply more even pressure to each key than the virginal player.