sansa (thumb piano), unrecorded Chokwe artist

Artwork Overview

unrecorded Chokwe artist, sansa (thumb piano)
unrecorded Chokwe artist, sansa (thumb piano)
unrecorded Chokwe artist
sansa (thumb piano)
late 1800s–1914
unrecorded Chokwe artist, artist
sansa (thumb piano), late 1800s–1914
Where object was made: Angola
Material/technique: carving; possibly iron; wood; plant fiber
Dimensions:
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 15.5 x 8 x 2 cm
Object Length/Width/Depth (Length x Width x Depth): 3 1/8 x 6 1/8 x 0 13/16 in
Credit line: Gift of Claude D. Brown
Accession number: 2007.0834
Not on display
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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Chokwe Art from the Claude D. Brown Collection," Feb-2000
Individuals of high status as well as ordinary people played sanzas in a variety of contexts, including entertainment, while courting, and during a journey. The music of the sanza accompanied songs praising individuals and past events.
Carved designs enhance the quality of the instrument. The pattern on this particular instrument may be mahenga, a scarification design associated with the dead.

Exhibitions

Chokwe Art from the Claude D. Brown Collection
2000