Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Courting Whistle
Not on view
The slender elongated form of this single-note whistle terminates in the shape of an abstract, long-beaked bird, identified as either a snipe or sandhill crane. The bird’s minimalistic portrayal radiates with life. Its beak is open, as though calling to a mate, and brass-tack eyes glimmer atop the black painted face. In Plains courtship, young men often played flutes to attract the attention of women.
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