FWIW
I have since seen this Rudall & Rose flute in person and have played it, inspected it and given it the twice over.
It is indeed an authentic Rudall & Rose in every respect.....save for the upper headpiece, which is likely a replacement from a cracked one. The crown aside ....the tube appears to be the original as it fits nicely to the barrel. The rings as well. Just the lathing of the head wasn't as intricate. However, the wood is quite a high-grade of boxwood. The replacement plays fine, just not as well as it should if it were original to the flute.
The rest of the flute is very Rudall in every respect. The stamp is that period when the quattrefoil was first appearing and there being no consistency as yet.....it's very likely one of the first stamped. Hence the missing bits. The keys and toneholes all are accurate.
If it's a counterfeit, then R&R should have hired the fellow who made it b/c it plays beautifully (with a replacement head by a well-known maker to match the wood....as well as using a different head from a boxwood R&R of that period that fits). A real craftsman.
Exceptional flute and I'm glad to have reviewed it for the owner, who has little desire to sell it.
Great find; great acquisition.
Rudall & Rose 3260 in auction, Marietta Georgia
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