Rudall Carte & Co. Cocus Boehm flute

Sold as-is for restoration. This instrument has a broken key, as pictured, along with multiple hairline cracks in the cocuswood body; some cracks have been previously pinned. A full overhaul will be required before the flute is playable.

About the Maker

Rudall, Carte & Co. was created in 1872, though the origins of the firm go back to 1822, when flautist George Rudall and flute maker John Mitchell Rose set up Rudall & Rose in London. Richard Carte, Rudall's student, persuaded the firm to make Theobald Boehm's early conical flutes, and the firm subsequently acquired the British rights to make Boehm's 1847 cylindrical flute. Rudall Carte & Co. became the most important 19th-century English manufacturer of Boehm flutes. For much of their existence, almost every professional flute player and most serious amateurs in Britain played on one of this firm's instruments.

Up until its acquisition by Boosey & Hawkes, Rudall Carte produced flutes in a range of materials, primarily cocuswood but also silver, ebonite, and gold, at varying price points. Rudall Carte cocuswood flutes in particular are still held in high esteem today; beautifully engineered and well ahead of their time, a restored, well cared-for example can be a pleasure to play.