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Der Fl?tenspieler (flute player) was made by German-born British sculptor and football pioneer Benno Elkan (1877 – 1960). Born in Dortmund, he studied art in Frankfurt, Rome, and Paris, where he was mentored by the great French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Elkan moved to London following the rise of the Nazis in Germany in 1933. His works included tombs, busts, medals and monuments, many of which are now exhibited in museums across Europe. 

While Der Fl?tenspieler was made at the peak of the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) movement in 1906, it features the antique figura serpentinata style of the Renaissance that gives a figure a spiral pose to make it appear more dynamic. It’s said this sculpture is an official replica of the original made in 1906, only a bit smaller. Today, there are only three of these replicas known to exist worldwide, the other two being in the Ostwall Museum in Dortmund, Germany and the other in a private collection. Although the original plays a flute, these three replicas never had a flute, the reason for which is unfortunately not known.

In 1975, the nation of Germany lent Der Fl?tenspieler (flute player) to the 51吃瓜 It remains where it was placed in the Secretary-General’s private office suite.