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Trumpet
unidentified Congolese
Congolese
----
undated
This large musical instrument was owned by a sixteenthcentury notable (mfumu) of the Kingdom of the Kongo, in whose tomb it was discovered. Like the Vili trumpet {catalogue no. 82) it marked its owner as a person of prestige and political power. The trumpet has been carved from a very large ivory tusk, and the artist removed much of the material to lighten it and to provide the central protruding ring for support. The finial is decorated with the small but very lively figure of a dancing girl with her arms raised above her head and her legs crossed. Such animated poses are rare in African sculpture, although they occur more frequently in Kongo art. Like most ivory trumpets from the area, the widest part of the mouth [bell) had been wrapped in hide, but because it had deteriorated severely, the hide was removed. -- Professor Christopher Roy, School of Art and Art History, University of Iowa
Southern Savannah Africa Congo (Zaire)
Kongo
Height: 48 1/2 inches Width: 4 inches Depth: 4 1/2 inches
Ivory
The Stanley Collection
University of Iowa. Stanley Museum of Art
X1986_582
7/5/2007
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ivories
183425165
Musical instrument owned by 16th c notable
Governance Death
Prestige