NMM 3608.  Bassoon by Heinrich Grenser, Dresden, ca. 1796-1806. Maple body with brass trim and eight brass keys mounted on brass saddles. Stamped on butt joint: [Saxon swords] / H. GRENSER / DRESDEN / 2*; stamped on long, wing, and bell joints: [Saxon swords] / H. GRENSER / 2*. SATK. Wing joint 476 mm; butt joint 428 mm; long joint 533 mm; bell joint 290 mm; height 1251 mm.

This is a typical example of the famed Dresdener Bassoon, a model that once was one of the most widely used on the Continent. Incredibly, more than 50 examples are known to survive, a testament to the high regard in which his bassoons were long held. Ex colls.: Friedemann Hellwig, Nürnberg; Phillip T. Young, Victoria, BC, Canada. Board of Trustees, 1985.

Close-up of key on butt joint