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Ngombi (arched Harp)

19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 681
Ngombi (ombi) with fiber strings.
Unlike the triangular European harp, the arched harp consists of two elements, a soundbox with a curved neck rising from it. Strings made of gut or plant fiber rise diagonally from the soundtable.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ngombi (arched Harp)
  • Date: 19th century
  • Geography: Gabon
  • Culture: Fang/Kele people
  • Medium: Wood, skin, vegetable fiber, leather
  • Dimensions: 18 1/2 × 2 15/16 × 4 3/4 in. (47 × 7.5 × 12 cm)
  • Classification: Chordophone-Harp
  • Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
  • Object Number: 89.4.3527
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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Nlô byeri (reliquary guardian head), Betsi-Fang artist, Wood, copper alloy, palm oil, Betsi-Fang peoples
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Arched Harp, Wood, skin, Possibly East African
Arched Harp
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Nyonganyonga, Wood, shell, metal, beads, Possibly Barwe People
Nyonganyonga
Possibly Barwe People
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Mokengue (bell), Tsogho artist, Wood, iron, pigment, plant fiber, Tsogho peoples
Mokengue (bell)
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Arched Harp, Wood, skin, gut, fiber, possibly Fang people
Arched Harp
possibly Fang people
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