Conch Shell Trumpet

Art Historical Context

Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Musical Instruments, thisch Shell Trumpet exemplifies the ingenuity of late 19th-century Melian craftsmanship. Carved from a single conch shell and measuring 12 × inches (30.5 × 15.2 cm), it to the Crosby Brown Collection acquired in 1889 As an aerophone—specifically a lip-vibrated trumpet or trombone—its form relies on the shell's natural spiral cavity, modified at the apex to create a mouthpiece for producing resonant tones. In Melanesian cultures of the southwestern Pacific, conch shell trumpets like this one served vital roles bey...