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Clay flute

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Transverse ceramic flute. Light-coloured body, unpainted, remains of engobe. Late Postclassic (ca. 1350-5121 AD). Origin High Valley of Mexico. Uhde Collection. The instrument has a short slit-shaped aeroduct (4.6 x 1.2 x 0.2 cm), a square section (1.2 x 0.3 cm) and a transverse tube with a handle hole. The applied element depicts the Aztec deity of music Xochipilli with his comb-shaped headdress, or the musician impersonated as a deity. In comparable flutes, the tube of the flute seems to represent a slit drum (teponaztli) on which the person depicted plays. A recording of this piece has already been made. The tone spectrum is A# +10 to C# +40 cents when the tube is closed and F -5 to G -10 cents when the tube is open. (Adje Both, 2004)

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Cultural attribution
Azteken
Object type
musical instruments
Dimensions
Height: 3,6 cm
Depth: 5,7 cm
Width: 3,2 cm
Material/Technique
Sound
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 4548

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    Late Classical
    where
    Mexico
    Central highlands
    Tlatelolco
    who
    Azteken
  • Collecting
    who
    Friedericke (Frieda) von Karwinsky - Former Possessors
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    American Archaeology

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

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