Pottery Whistle and Rattle
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Clay
Dimensions
L. 125 mm; H. 47 mm.; Wt. 163 g.
Classification
Aerophone and Idiophone-flue blown / vessel rattle
Culture
probably Costa Rican
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number
89.4.678
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming **Pottery Whistle and R**, crafted from clay in the 19th by an unknown Costa Rican artist, exemplifies the ingenuity of indigenous musical traditions. Measuring 125 mm in length and weighing just 163 grams, this handheld treasure from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments serves dual purposes: as a flue-blown aerophone (whistle) and a vessel idiophone. Its animal-inspired form, hinted at by thematic tags, reflects zoomorphic motifs common in Central American pottery, where creatures often symbolized spiritual or natural forces. Artisans li...