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Clay flute

Small, zoomorphic vascular flute with an inflated resonating body and four feet. The instrument has eight small openings and a short, conical mouthpiece. Six openings served as finger holes. The object was smoothed, sanded, primed, painted and lightly polished. The primer and paint are partially eroded. The ceramic has a white-brownish base colour, which was painted red and black-brown. The shape of the object is reminiscent of a turtle. On its back and head are several pictorial fields with black-brown, geometric motifs. They seem to reflect the structures of textiles or wickerwork. The painted sectors are bordered by broad red lines. According to Lothrop 1926: highland polychrome ware. Cultural significance: the ceramics of the Mora group were produced in the north-west of Costa Rica and traded to the Central Highlands and the Atlantic region of the country. It uses design elements (seated anthropomorphic figures with headdresses, mat motif, Kan cross) that are also known from the Maya ceramics (Copador group) of the Clásico Tardío (900-600d.C.). The variant is related to the Gillén Negro sobre café claro (1350-1000d.C.) and Palmira Policromo (1350-1000d.C.) groups. (Künne 2004)

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum
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Cataloguing data

Object type
musical instruments
Dimensions
Objektmaß: 4,8 x 6,45 x 9,4 cm
Material/Technique
Sound
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 41118

Provenance and sources

when
Policromo Medio (800 - 1350)
where
Costa Rica
Guanacaste [Provinz]
Santa Cruz [Kanton]

who
Lehmann, Walter - Collectors

where
Santa Bárbara [Ort]

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