Pigeon flute

Museum number:
9-9714
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21090009714
Accession number:
Acc.2640
Description:
pigeon flute; 5 bamboo pipes with dark brown stain; plexiglass tongue for tail ring; According to some writers, flutes were attached to message-carrying pigeons to frighten away hawks and eventually came to be used by pigeon fanciers to lure away another fancier’s pigeon or flock in order to increase their 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.
Donor:
Estate of James Pomeroy Howe
Collection place:
Beijing, Beijing municipality, Northern China
Verbatim coll. place:
China, Peking
Culture or time period:
Chinese
Collector:
James Pomeroy Howe
Collection date:
1930s
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Pigeon flutes
Function:
5.6 Sports, Games, Amusements; Gambling and Pet Accessories
Accession date:
1970
Department:
Asia (except western Russia)
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 2 titled Pigeon flute, accession number 9-9714, described as pigeon flute; 5 bamboo pipes with dark brown stain; plexiglass tongue for tail ring; According to some writers, flutes were attached to message-carrying pigeons to frighten away hawks and eventually came to be used by pigeon fanciers to lure away another fancier’s pigeon or flock in order to increase their 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.Hearst Museum object 2 of 2 titled Pigeon flute, accession number 9-9714, described as pigeon flute; 5 bamboo pipes with dark brown stain; plexiglass tongue for tail ring; According to some writers, flutes were attached to message-carrying pigeons to frighten away hawks and eventually came to be used by pigeon fanciers to lure away another fancier’s pigeon or flock in order to increase their 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.
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Pigeon flute, accession number 9-9714, described as pigeon flute; 5 bamboo pipes with dark brown stain; plexiglass tongue for tail ring; According to some writers, flutes were attached to message-carrying pigeons to frighten away hawks and eventually came to be used by pigeon fanciers to lure away another fancier’s pigeon or flock in order to increase their 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.

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