Pigeon flute

Museum number:
9-9623
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21090009623
Accession number:
Acc.2640
Description:
pigeon flute; gourd w/4 slotted bamboo openings, tan stain, painted red & black floral border; bamboo tongue for tail ring; c. 15 cm.
Donor:
Estate of James Pomeroy Howe
Collection place:
Beijing, Beijing municipality, Northern China
Verbatim coll. place:
Peking, China
Collector:
James Pomeroy Howe
Collection date:
1930s
Materials:
Bamboo (material), Ink, and Paint (coating)
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Pigeon flutes
Function:
5.6 Sports, Games, Amusements; Gambling and Pet Accessories
Accession date:
1970
Context of use:
According to some writers, flutes were attached to message-carrying pigeons to frighten away hawks & eventually were used by pigeon fanciers to lure away another's pigeon or flock or to increase wealth and status. According to Berthold Laufer, the flutes were used for the aesthetic value of their music. Makers in this collection include: HUNG, CHUNG, KUEI, MING, PAN, SHIH-TZU (?), SHENG, LI. For additional information consult accession envelope.
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Loans:
S1986-1987 #9: Howe Homestead (City of Walnut Creek) (October 13, 1986–June 9, 1988) and S1990-1991 #9: Howe Homestead (City of Walnut Creek) (November 27, 1990–August 25, 1995)
Images:
Hearst Museum object titled Pigeon flute, accession number 9-9623, described as pigeon flute; gourd w/4 slotted bamboo openings, tan stain, painted red & black floral border; bamboo tongue for tail ring; c. 15 cm.
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Pigeon flute, accession number 9-9623, described as pigeon flute; gourd w/4 slotted bamboo openings, tan stain, painted red & black floral border; bamboo tongue for tail ring; c. 15 cm.

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