Peter Bressan, born Pierre Jaillard (27 May 1663, Bourg-en-Bresse — 21 April 1731, Tournai, Belgium), also referred to as Pierre Jaillard Bressan, was a notable French maker of woodwind instruments, particularly recorders. He was also a flutist, oboist, and music publisher who thrived in London from approximately 1690 to 1730. Bressan emerged as one of the leading flute makers of his era in Britain, alongside prominent figures such as father-and-son duo Thomas Stanesby Sr. (circa 1668—1734) and Junior (1692—1754), John Jost Schuchardt (circa 1695—1758), and Joseph Bradbury (circa 1670—circa 1725).

Originating from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France, Pierre spent his formative years there. Scholars are generally in agreement that he acquired foundational skills in instrument making in his home country, reflected in the distinctive "French style" of the surviving recorders marked P. Bressan. However, details surrounding his apprenticeship are subject to debate; some sources assert that he began a two-year training period in May 1678 in Bourg-en-Bresse, while others suggest he may have traveled to Paris to train at the workshop of the esteemed flute-maker Jean-Jacques Rippert (1645—1716), possibly alongside brothers Nicolas (1615—1693) and Jean Hotteterre (1677—1720).

By 1688, Pierre had moved to England, settling in London where he anglicized his name to "Peter" and adopted Bressan as a professional pseudonym to facilitate pronunciation for English speakers, while retaining "Jaillard" as his middle name. In 1691, Peter Bressan was chosen as one of five oboists to accompany King William III of England (1650—1702) on a royal visit to Holland, underscoring the rapid ascent of his reputation in England. In 1706, he married Mary Margaret Mignon, with whom he had four children. The family resided at Somerset House, the property of Peter's father-in-law Claude Mignon, which he would later inherit. In 1723, Pierre-Peter Jaillard Bressan became a naturalized citizen.

In addition to crafting various woodwind instruments at his London workshop, Bressan engaged in music publishing. Between 1718 and 1728, he organized and financed the publication of several works by composers including Pietro Castrucci, Francesco Barsanti, Jean-Claude Gillier, and Johann Ernst Galliard, among others. Despite accumulating significant wealth through his marriage and professional endeavors, Bressan struggled to maintain and grow his fortune. His financial difficulties were exacerbated by legal disputes, lavish spending, and substantial investments in the infamous South Sea Company, which collapsed in 1720 and triggered a major stock market crash. Ultimately, to escape his mounting debts, Bressan fled to Belgium. He passed away at the age of 68 from illness; while some accounts describe him as "penniless," others cite his will, which included "paintings, busts, and numerous musical instruments."

Stamps and "Pui Bressan" Misidentification Peter Bressan employed an embossed stamp featuring a small Lancastrian rose: **𝑃 ∪ 𝐼 BRESSAN ✽** The stamp's intended interpretation was "P.[b]–[/b]I. Bressan," with the initial "J" represented in sans-serif, resembling a capital "I" due to the lack of a descender, a common feature in Latin typography. The stylized hyphen, shaped like a reversed horseshoe, "∪," connected the initials, leading to some instruments being mistakenly attributed to the non-existent Pui Bressan. Notable examples include:

♬ circa 1720–24 Alto Recorder, Inv. F173, housed in the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts, misattributed in the official MIMO-International database entry. ♬ Treble Recorder in F featured on the 1973 album Apollo's Feast LP from the renowned collection of Arnold Dolmetsch (1858—1940), described in the liner notes by his granddaughter Jeanne Dolmetsch (1942—2018) as made by "Pui Bressan."