Flute
about 1835 (Made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Thomas Prowse, junior (active 1834-1868), traded from 13 Hanway Street, London, and made 'improved flutes', devised by Charles Nicholson (1795-1837), a popular flautist known for his flamboyant lifestyle. These flutes were fitted with a number of separate keys (unlike the interlinking ones used in the Boehm system) and noted for their wider holes which improved the tone and volume. This example was made of cocus wood, a West Indian timber, widely used in Britain for making wind-instruments from about 1830 onwards.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | turned and bored cocus wood; silver keys with pewter plugs. |
| Brief description | Flute, cocus wood with silver keyes, Thomas Prowse, English, about 1835. |
| Physical description | "Cocus wood, in four joints, silver mounted. The second, fourth and fifth holes are of relatively large diameter (Nicholson's Improvement [which improved the tone and volume by widening these holes]). Tuning slide in the head. Eight keys mounted on blocks in the wood. The keys are of saltspoon shape save for the lowest two, which have riveted pewter plugs in the older manner for these keys." Anthony Baines,Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 93. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | C.Nicholsons Improved 4480 T.Prowse. Hanway St., London. (Stamped on the 3rd joint) |
| Gallery label | FLUTE
English
By Thomas Prowse, about 1830
Stamped C.Nicholsons Improved 4480 T.Prowse. Hanway St., London.
Cocus wood with silver mounts.
Non-keyboard catalogue: 22/6
Thomas Prowse junior was at the above address between 1834 and 1838, and both he and his father made the "improved flutes" of
Charles Nicholson (1795-1837) the wider holes of which created greater volume.
46-1896(pre September 2000) |
| Credit line | Given to the Museum by R.Parker, Esq. |
| Object history | The flute was give to the Museum in 1896 by R.Parker Esq. |
| Summary | Thomas Prowse, junior (active 1834-1868), traded from 13 Hanway Street, London, and made 'improved flutes', devised by Charles Nicholson (1795-1837), a popular flautist known for his flamboyant lifestyle. These flutes were fitted with a number of separate keys (unlike the interlinking ones used in the Boehm system) and noted for their wider holes which improved the tone and volume. This example was made of cocus wood, a West Indian timber, widely used in Britain for making wind-instruments from about 1830 onwards. |
| Bibliographic reference | Anthony Baines: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria and Albert Museum - Part II: Non-keyboard instruments. (London, 1998), p. 93 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 46-1896 |
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| Record created | May 16, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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