Ocarina

Unknown

Item type:

musical instrument or object

Date of creation:

900-1600

Height:

7.0 cm  (2 3/4 in.)

Width:

7.5 cm  (2 15/16 in.)

Technique / Medium:

ceramic

Place of creation:

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia)

Description

Ocarina in the shape of a human being from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia) of the Tairona Period. The figure is fully dressed, girded with a belt, and it wears a necklace. The figures face is covered with a mask with ornaments. From the headdress hangs some sort of wig. The masked figure is accompanied by snakes facing the opposite directions. The instrument has 6 holes: one on the headdress, through which it was blown, another in the middle part of the body on the back and four more on the body of the snake through which the musician controlled the tone. The ocarina’s back side is completely smooth without any ornamentation.

Instruments [MIMO Code] (notes)

Ocarina [4020]

RIdIM images

Image URLs

image link 1

RIdIM record id

10885