Top joint

Treble recorder of three joints, of turned fruitwood, veneered in turtle shell inlaid with gold piqué, silver and mother of pearl, mounted with ivory, plainly turned. The sections are turned and bored, the outer surfaces wrapped with turtle shell, which is overlapped and welded to itself after heating. The turtle shell would then be polished so that no line of joining is apparent. [Treble recorder] A slightly bulbous ivory mouthpiece is turned with plain mouldings at the base. It is cut away on the underside and the fruitwood core is visible, with the fruitwood infill. Below this the joint is veneered in turtle shell, turned in the shell with shallow collars at top and bottom and showing on the top and bottom edge a pattern in gold piqué of addorsed S-scrolls with pendants including small circles of mother of pearl. Below the voicing aperture (through which the fruitwood core is visible) the turtle shell is inlaid with two coats of arms in gold, below a closed crown which is deeply engraved into the turtle shell. The dexter shield is barry of five, the two gold bars each engraved with continuous curving motifs. The sinister shield is barry of six, the three gold bars each engraved with two horizontal lines, the three bars of shell each inlaid in gold with single fleurs-de-lys. The core of the joint is visible below the lower edge of the turtle shell, where it extends approximately 4 cm to provide the core for the ivory collar (:2). [Collar] Collar of ivory, of barrel form, turned at top and bottom with small, plain mouldings. [Main joint] A plain, turned section, veneered with turtle shell and inlaid with bands of gold and mother- of-pearl inlay at top and bottom. The core of the joint extends beyond the decorated area at each end to provide for connection with the adjacent sections of the recorder, the narrower areas bound with fine cord to provide a tight fit. The joint is set with five finger holes on the top surface, each with an inlaid, framing mount in the form of a baroque cartouche, of engraved silver and with an additional finger hole below these, which is set within the inlaid decoration and shows no framing mount. There is an additional finger hole, with a similar collar, on the underside at the top. [Bottom joint] A bell-shaped foot joint, with a turned ivory collar at the top and an ivory edge section to the base. The upper edge of the turtle-shell collar is set with the freize of addorsed S-scrolls in gold piqué and mother of pearl. The upper ivory collar is pierced with one finger hole on the underside of the instrument