Natural trumpet, E-flat
Date1846-1847
Place MadeLondon, England, Europe
Serial No.none
SignedEngraved on bell garland: Received from the Lord Chamberlains Office. 17 May 1847 (script)Engraved within cartouche on garland: I / L. G
MarkingsThe following London hallmarks:
Stamped on bell: I.N.; lion passant; leopard’s head; L; queen’s head
Stamped on ball: lion passant; queen’s head
Stamped on ferrules: I.N.; queen’s head; lion passant
Stamped on tuning bit: lion passant
DescriptionSolid silver; garland with straight upper edge and embossed thistle, shamrock, and rose decoration; Saxon rim with iron wire; helical-fluting ferrules with acanthus-leaves.
Made for the first Life Guard of Queen Victoria, this instrument preserves a particular English tradition of trumpet making that goes back at least to the seventeenth century. One characteristic of this tradition is the massive ball that holds the oblique first yard. The stamp I.N. on some of the parts refers to the "plate worker" John Nichols, maker of larger silver items, such as plates, who entered his mark at Goldsmith's Hall in London in November 1825. Nichols delivered several silver trumpets to the Lord Chamberlain's Office in 1845, 1846, and 1847; those of 1845 and 1846 are still kept at the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
DimensionsHeight: 661 mm
Tube length: 1977 mm
Bore diameter (initial, minimum): 12.4 mm, 12.0 mm
Bell diameter: 120 mm
ProvenancePurchased in 1996 from Edward H. Tarr, Rheinfelden-Eichsel, Germany.
Published ReferencesKlaus, Sabine Katharina. Trumpets and Other High Brass: A History Inspired by the Joe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection. Volume 1: Instruments of the Single Harmonic Series (Vermillion, SD: National Music Museum, 2012), pp. 165-67, 170, 172-73, 175-77, 228, 261.
Tarr, Edward H. La Tromba in Europa dal `500 al `900. Gli strumenti del Museo della Tromba di Bad Saeckingen (Montava: Tipografia Commerciale Cooperativa, 1991), pp. 24-25.
Credit LineJoe R. and Joella F. Utley Collection, 1999
Object number07162
On View
On view
