A pranger flute was a medieval and early modern pillory instrument for the execution of honorary sentences.
The despicable flute bears its name because of its external resemblance to a flute. The metal ring, usually hinged, at the upper end of the wooden or metal flutes was placed around the delinquent's neck and his fingers were then clamped in the metal clamp on the body of the "flute". This gave the delinquent, who was writhing in pain, the impression of a playing musician, which particularly exposed him to the ridicule of the audience. In recent times the "Schandflöte" is often presented as a punishment for bad musicians, but like the neck violin, which also resembles a musical instrument, it served to punish various minor violations of the legal system.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schandfl%C3%B6te
Translated by DeepL:
A pranger flute was a medieval and early modern pillory instrument for the execution of honorary sentences.
The despicable flute bears its name because of its external resemblance to a flute. The metal ring, usually hinged, at the upper end of the wooden or metal flutes was placed around the delinquent's neck and his fingers were then clamped in the metal clamp on the body of the "flute". This gave the delinquent, who was writhing in pain, the impression of a playing musician, which particularly exposed him to the ridicule of the audience. In recent times the "Schandflöte" is often presented as a punishment for bad musicians, but like the neck violin, which also resembles a musical instrument, it served to punish various minor violations of the legal system.