Pottery Whistle
Unknown Artist
ca. 300–900
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
L. 61 mm.; W. 57 mm.; D. 37 mm.; Wt. 49 g.
Classification
Aerophone-Whistle Flute-whistle
Culture & Period
Mexican · Pre-Columbian
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number
89.4.2378
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming Pottery Whistle, crafted from clay by an unknown artist in Pre-Columbian Mexico around300–900 CE, the ingenuity of ancient Mesoamerican artisans. Measuring just 61 mm long, 57 mm wide, and 37 mm deep, this lightweight (49 g) aerophone—classified as a whistle flute—fits comfortably in the hand. Its compact form suggests it was designed for personal or ritual use, producing sound when air is blown across an opening, much like modern ocarinas. The whistle's creation highlights advanced pottery techniques of the era, where clay was molded, fired, and possibly decorated to form funct...