Nicolas Blanchet I (c.1660 - 1731) was born in Reims and by 1686 was living in Paris, where he spent the rest of his life.
There was an earlier instrument maker of the same name who worked in Paris in the early 17th century, but it is not known whether the two were related.
Ruckers harpsichords were highly prized in France at that time to such an extent that in some 'Ruckers' instruments only the soundboard was original, or nothing at all.
The Blanchet family became associated with the French court in the 1740s and became facteur des clavessins du Roi (makers of the King's harpsichords) in the 1750s .
Johannes Roller, a German piano maker, became a partner in the firm until his retirement in 1851.