Nikolaus Staub (Bap. Stade 1664, D. 1734, Fl Nuremberg P. 1700-1730) An ivory alto (treble) recorder Nuremberg, 1st quarter of the 18th century

stamped N. Staub within a scroll, the head joint in two sections with a screw tenon, the foot joint with a later G sharp key with pewter plug cover and waisted touchpiece, the centre joint inscribed on the back in large characters von Beethoven geerbt Konrad Graf

There is a short (1cm.) repaired crack in the front surface of the beak, the labium has small chips, the lower joint of the two-part head joint has some internal hair-line cracks. There is one short (1cm.) repaired crack on the inside surface of the lower tenon of the middle joint. A segment of the foot ring as been broken off and but well repaired, there are two other small cracks in the bell ring. The pitch of the instrument is approx. 420Hz.
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Unfortunately no paperwork has yet come to light which would support the fact that Beethoven bequeathed a recorder to Conrad Graf.  It was of course just two years before the composer's death that Graf presented to him one of his grand pianos. From its form the key was probably added in the first quarter of the 19^th century.