DCM 1207: Peter Bressan Flute in C
Summary
Head joint cap is quite long, approximately 3.5 centimeters fitting over a tenon at the upper end of the head joint. It appears to be made in 2 pieces, possibly 3, reason unknown, perhaps due to available ivory stock. DCM ledger: "The body joint is not marked and seems to be of different wood and is probably of much later make, a 'repair.'" The body joint has been observed by others to be possibly not original.
Instrument type: Flute in C
Medium: Boxwood, stained brown, ivory cap and ferrules.; 62.4 cm.
Key Holes System: 1 key, flat trapezoidal flap, pin in block.
Mark Maximum: P u I / BRESSAN / (Lancastrian rose)
Mark Additional: Mark on head, foot. Mark is hard to read, middle joint not marked. See Notes.
Condition: Head joint cap chipped at bottom edge and missing some material. Embouchure hole appears to have been crudely altered. Foot joint key block is broken off at the pin line on both sides and missing, although a key is still present and attached with a steel staple, possibly as a part of this temporary repair, i.e., the staple, the spring currently attached to the instrument is affixed with a brass flat head wood screw.
Provenance: Baxter-Northup Co., Los Angeles, 5 Feb. 1933. Found by E. B. Jones (cousin of Harry Baxter of Baxter-Northup Co.) in Toluca, Mexico.
The Dayton C. Miller collection in the Library of Congress, contains nearly 1,700 flutes and other wind instruments, statuary, iconography, books, music, trade catalogs, tutors, patents, and other materials mostly related to the flute. It includes both Western and non-Western examples of flutes from around the world, with at least 460 European and American instrument makers represented. Items in the collection date from the 16th to the 20th century.