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Lyre

19th century
Not on view
This unusual piece was purchased at the end of the 19th century and was originally thought to have come from South America when it was cataloged in 1906. It was eventually reattributed to Central Africa, although there is no known tradition to which this instrument may be assigned. Some have suggested that it may have been made for symbolic or clandestine ritual use, but most likely it is a sensational item made by a clever indigenous entrepreneur for trade and profit with Europeans in the 19th century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lyre
  • Date: 19th century
  • Culture: Central African
  • Medium: Human skull, wood, antelope horn, skin, gut, hair
  • Dimensions: 5 1/8 × 14 3/8 × 5 1/2 in. (13 × 36.5 × 14 cm)
  • Classification: Chordophone-Lyre-plucked
  • Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
  • Object Number: 89.4.1268
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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Bowl Lyre, Wood, horn, calabash, skin, Ugandan or Kenyan
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Apollo Lyre, various materials, American
Apollo Lyre
American
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Lyre, Wood, snake or lizard skin,, Probably Ganda People
Lyre
Probably Ganda People
19th century
Kerar (lyre), Wood, beads, shells, fiber, metal, hide, Ethiopian or Sudanese
Kerar (lyre)
Ethiopian or Sudanese
early to mid-20th century
Tsii' Edo' Ai (Apache fiddle), Athabascan Family Native American (Apache), Agave flower stalk, wood, paint, horsehair, Native American (Apache)
Tsii' Edo' Ai (Apache fiddle)
Athabascan Family
ca. 1900

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