Pottery Whistle
Not on view
The production of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic ceramic figures in Central and South America originated about 6,500 years ago in the Andes region of Colombia, then spread along the west coast, from Ecuador to northern Chile and Argentina, and finally farther north into Central America.
Although numerous types of instruments survive from pre-conquest South and Central America, little is known of how they were used. Whistles were often made in animal or human form and probably had ceremonial functions or served as playthings. Smaller whistles in animal shapes, perhaps worn suspended from the neck, frequently have fingerholes that allow variation of pitch. Sometimes, the sound it creates mimics the creature represented.
Description: Reddish-brown clay bird-shaped with folded wings, standing on bipodal support, the tail forming mouthpiece, the mouth of whistle on underside at juncture of tail and hollow body which serves as resonating chamber of whistle; 2 fingerholes on upper surface of body on either side of pierced neck; modeled head, "red and black line" geometric ornamentation. (Stewart Pollens and Helen Marr, 1977)
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
