Whistling Jar
Although numerous pottery instruments survive from pre-conquest South and Central America, little is known of how they were used before Spanish invaders ravaged the native cultures. Whistles, trumpets, and rattles in animal or human form probably had ceremonial functions or served as playthings. The whistling jar is a one- or two-chambered vessel in which a whistle, often concealed in a bird’s head, is sounded by blowing into the spout or by pouring liquid from one chamber to the other to create a birdlike twittering sound.
Artwork Details
- Title: Whistling Jar
- Period: Pre-Columbian
- Date: ca. 1000–1476
- Geography: Coastal Region, Peru
- Culture: Peruvian
- Medium: Pottery
- Dimensions: H. 7 15/16 × W. 8 9/16 × D. 5 1/2 in., Wtg. 1.9 lb. (20.1 × 21.8 × 13.9 cm, 876g)
- Classification: Aerophone-Blow Hole-vessel flute
- Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
- Object Number: 89.4.1716
- Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments
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Peruvian
ca. 1000–1476
Chimu
1000–1476
Moche
ca. 450–800
Native American (Peruvian)
late 19th century
Paracas
300–200 BCE
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