Transverse Flute in C
This transverse flute is made of glass, with rings and valves in silver. It was manufactured in 1815 by Claude Laurent, a Parisian watchmaker and mechanic who invented the technology for this novelty instrument. He used crystal and other types of glass to produce white, cobalt blue, and uranium green flutes. This flute was gifted to the museum by Baron Korff and there are archival notes stating that it was formerly owned by the renowned German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The instrument is, not surprisingly for a glass instrument that has survived a war, broken and cracked in several places. A glass fragment, the crown screw, and the C key are missing.
Transverse flute in C, Glass with silver rings. Claude Laurent Paris 1815. Salvaged from the Alte Münze Tresor, Berlin in 1945. Inventory number: 0618. Collection: Musikinstrumenten-Museum, Berlin.
