Description

Silver-plated Louis Lot (Barat era) flute

This silver-plated Louis Lot flute was made during the Émile BARAT (1846-1918) ownership of the Louis Lot company. Barat was born in Joigny, France in 1846. He ran a music shop in Paris from 1874 until 1889. He took over the Lot company in 1889 and flute production was excellent. In 1904, he sold it to Ernest Henri CHAMBILLE (1858-1922).

This silver-plated flute features soldered tone-holes and an original solid silver lip-plate. The crown has the lovely beaded three row design and it is hollow so as to make the flute as light as possible. We can see its pointed-arm keys and teardrop D-sharp touchpiece. The flute has that fantastic typical Louis Lot design, admired and loved by so many. Its embouchure measures 10.1 x 11.7 mm. We can date the serial number to 1902. It is extremely light, even with the case included!

The flute has been cherished and played for numerous years. Generally, it is in very good condition. The silver plating shows slight wear on the area of the tube where the right thumb rests, and also on the ring keys. To play it at a professional level again, the pads will need to be changed.

The head joint was possibly shortened by 2 mm. This gives the player some room to play sharper if needed. The flute works perfectly at the modern pitch of a=442 Hz and has a lovely, vibrant and colourful French sound.

Our opinion

If owning a Louis Lot flute in good shape is on your wish list, now’s the time to act. This flute is a fantastic all-rounder, brimming with potential – plus it’s attractively priced.