Pigeon flute
- Museum number:
- 9-9626
- Permalink:
- ark:/21549/hm21090009626
- Accession number:
- Acc.2640
- Description:
- pigeon flute;gourd w/4 slotted bamboo openings;painted black w/red floral border; bamboo tongue for tail ring; c. 14 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) and Ink
- 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)
- Images:
- Legacy documentation: