Mangbetu. Five String Harp with Human Head (Kundi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, beads, 25 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 3 in. (64.1 x 15.9 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.867a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.22.867a-b_bottom_PS5.jpg)
Mangbetu. Five String Harp with Human Head (Kundi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, beads, 25 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 3 in. (64.1 x 15.9 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.867a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.22.867a-b_detail_PS5.jpg)
Five String Harp with Human Head (Kundi)
Arts of Africa
MEDIUM
Wood, hide, beads
DATES
late 19th or early 20th century
DIMENSIONS
25 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 3 in. (64.1 x 15.9 x 7.6 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of Africa
ACCESSION NUMBER
22.867a-b
CREDIT LINE
Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Five stringed harp (Kundi). Oval shaped wooden resonator covered with hide. Two round openings are found on the anterior surface. Neck of harp is curved with a human head at top. Head is adorned with a hatch striped coiffure. Arms, breasts, and female genitals are also indicated on neck. The eyes consist of white glass beads, the ears are pierced, and the face is lighter in color than the headdress and the remainder of the neck. Red stamp applied to bottom of resonator.
Condition: Large piece of hide detaching from back. Stitching coming apart. Pegs and strings are missing.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Mangbetu. Five String Harp with Human Head (Kundi), late 19th or early 20th century. Wood, hide, beads, 25 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 3 in. (64.1 x 15.9 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 22.867a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.22.867a-b_bottom_PS5.jpg)
IMAGE
bottom, CUR.22.867a-b_bottom_PS5.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2010
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
