Flute
ca. 1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Pierre Jaiilard Bressan (1663-1731) came from France and settled in London in 1688, where he made all types of wind instruments and published music until 1730. In 1691 he accompanied William III (reigned 1688-1702) to Holland as one of the hautboys, or oboe-players, in his retinue. On his death in May 1731, the London press hailed Bressan as 'that celebrated artist in making flutes'. This flute is a particularly fine example of his work, made of ebony ornately inlaid with silver wire.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Turned ebony, inlaid with silver filigree in scroll patterns, with five silver mounts |
| Brief description | English, 1720-25, Pierre Bressan |
| Physical description | Flute of ebony in four pieces mounted in silver. The mouth-hole, the six finger-holes and the divisions between the parts are decorated in inlaid silver wire with bands of interlacing scrolls enriched with annulets, dots and other devices; the centre of each portion is similarly ornamented. The flute has one silver key. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions | P.I./Bressan (On each of the four joints; stamped) |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Given by Alfred Branton Esq. |
| Object history | Bought for £3 from Alfred Branton, East Dulwich. Condition: 'one piece split and portion of inlay missing', 'In a case covered with fish-skin and fitted with a lock and hasp, two catches and a drop handle.' RF 91800/1898, 25375/1898 and 24781/1898 In 1978 a report on the instrument with measurements and photographs was compiled by Deirdre Daines, London; a scanned copy is retained on the dept object file. |
| Summary | Pierre Jaiilard Bressan (1663-1731) came from France and settled in London in 1688, where he made all types of wind instruments and published music until 1730. In 1691 he accompanied William III (reigned 1688-1702) to Holland as one of the hautboys, or oboe-players, in his retinue. On his death in May 1731, the London press hailed Bressan as 'that celebrated artist in making flutes'. This flute is a particularly fine example of his work, made of ebony ornately inlaid with silver wire. |
| Bibliographic reference | London, Victoria & Albert Museum: Catalogue of Musical Instruments in the Victoria & Albert Museum. Part II, Anthony Baines: Non-keyboard instruments (London, 1998), p. 91 - 92.
This instrument, one of the two known extant flutes by Bressan, is fully described by E. Halfpenny in Galpin Society Journal, XIII, 1960. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 452-1898 |
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| Record created | May 16, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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