This Nonon “flûte perfectionnée” is a beauty, isn’t it? It was elaborated in deep-brown cocuswood with utmost care and precision. The silver keywork is so eye-catchingly refined, featuring delicately shaped touch-pieces throughout. It is proudly stamped with its maker’s mark on every part.

Jacques NONON (1802-1877) was born into a family of turners in Metz, France. Where he learnt his flute-making expertise is not clear. We do know that he presented one of his flutes to Jean-Louis TULOU (1786-1865) in Paris in 1828. This would be the start of a business relationship which was officially set up in 1831.

Nonon would make flutes marked Tulou, who was the official supplier to the Paris conservatoire. Nonon even had his own home and workshop in Tulou’s house.

The flûte perfectionée was created by Tulou in around 1850. It was a form of counter-model to the cylindrical Boehm flute.

After twenty-two years of entrepreneurial bliss, things turned sour between the two French gentlemen. The partnership ended in 1853 when Nonon moved out of Tulou’s apartment and workshop and had set up on his own at 8 rue de Rochechouart by 1854. It was the beginning of some very fierce competition indeed. This was because Nonon copied Tulou’s flûte perfectionnée and sold it with his own name and treble clef stamp. He also tried to make some improvements to the key system. This led to innovations for which he obtained a patent.

Tulou continued on regardless, making his instruments in the workshop of Pierre Louis GAUTROT (1812-1881) instead.  He retired in 1859 and settled in Nantes in 1860, where he died in 1865. Nonon moved back into his old nest… the residence at 27 Rue des Martyrs around 1863. He sold his workshop to his nephew and colleague Auguste CHAMBILLE (1827-1881), but still worked there until he finally died, a bachelor, in Paris in 1877.

If we focus for the moment on the images, we can see that the petite embouchure is beautifully cut and unaltered. It measures 9.7 mm x 10.9 mm. This particular flute perfectionnée has ten keys and D-foot. We can see that it has the new F-sharp key, mounted on the main axis – part of Nonon’s 1854 patent. The entire instrument is in fact unchanged and perfect in every respect.

The case, with its original tenon protectors and grease pot, is in very good condition. We think it originally housed a C-foot rather than a D-foot flute. It is signed with the NONON RUE DES MARTYRS 27 address and its owners’ initials P.B are on the cover.

As it is, the flute sounds warm and elegant with excellent intonation. Once restored, the sky’s the limit in terms of a smooth, sweet and open sound.