Confusion has long surrounded the names and exact members of the LOT family who were woodwind instrument makers during the 18th century in the village of La Couture. This Baroque flute is believed to have been made by Pierre (?) LOT.

Little is known about Pierre Lot. He was born in 1712, the son of Nicolas LOT (1681-1736) and Henriette LEPARTY (1681-1758). Nicolas Lot was the cousin of Thomas II. In 1734, he married a Thibouville – Catherine Thibouville.  Further details on the LOT family can be found in the book by Tula Giannini.

This fantastic flute is made of flamed or figured boxwood and has four ivory rings and an ivory cap. The embouchure is extremely small and somewhat oval, with dimensions of 8.1 mm x 8.7 mm. The silver key is nicely scalloped. We believe the flute dates back to around 1750, based on its shape and the small double profiles found on the rings. The undercuttings of the fingerholes are very big… typical for instruments by the LOT family.  The maker’s stamp on the head joint is not directly under the embouchure but slightly to one side. This was because the flute was supposed to be played with the embouchure towards the player and not in line with the fingerholes. We can also see that the fingerholes themselves are slightly oval in shape.

At some stage, an extra middle joint was made for this flute so that it could be played at a lower pitch. The original middle joint however, works much better.

This flute’s previous owner had it fully restored. It has therefore, new windings, key pad and cork. A crack in the foot joint was also repaired. This flute is in excellent condition and plays very well. Its pitch…a smooth a=415 Hz!