Oboe in C

Art Historical Context

This exquisite Oboe in C, by the renowned Dutch maker Hendrik Rich before 1727, exemplifies the pinnacle of Baroque-era instrument making. Fashioned from rich ebony for its resonant tone and durability, with ivory and silver accents for both functionality and elegance, it measures a compact 22½ × 2⅜ × 2⅜ inches. As a double-reed aerophone, it produces its distinctive, reedy timbre through vibrating reeds, a technique central to woodwind design of the time. Richters, active in Amsterdam, was among Europe's leading oboe craftsmen, supplying instruments to courts and orchestras across the contin...