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Description: | An incomplete and slightly misshapen post-Medieval cast copper-alloy Jews harp (c. 1500-c. 1800 AD).In plan, it has a circular head and tapering arms both of which are characteristically lozenge-shaped in cross-section. The outer diameter of the head, also lozenge-shaped in cross-section, is 41.3mm. At the apex, on the front face, is a rabbet to accommodate the iron prong. A small portion of the prong has survived within the rabbet. The arms are complete. They are about 6.4mm in width at their junction with the head and their widths are about 4.4mm at the other end.The surfaces are corroded and have traces of a light green decayed patina. There is iron staining around the rabbet and also on the inner faces of the arms. It has numerous file marks overall.85.7 x 41.3 x 9.5mm. Weight: 49.93g.Geoff Egan of The Museum of London has commented on Medieval Jews harps: 'The Jews harp, or trump, is an ancient folk instrument with a wide geographical distribution. It is indigenous to South-east Asia, and was certainly introduced to Europe by the time of the Crusades...The European Jews harp, familiar today, is made of metal, usually iron, and the tongue is a separate component hammered into a rabbet in the thickest part of the frame. At its other end the tongue is bent into a prong, but this rarely survives in archaeological contexts. In play, the instrument is held in one hand and the frame is lightly supported between the player's teeth, while the metal tongue is plucked with the fingers on the other hand. The mouth cavity acts as a resonator and the pitch is modified by the position of the lips, tongue and cheeks' (Egan, G. 1998.'The Medieval Household Daily Living c. 1150 - c. 1450'. 284. London: The Stationery Office. Similar examples are illustrated in Bailey, G, 1993, 'Detector Finds 2', 76-77, refs: 4-6. Bailey (page 76) suggests that these examples date to the eighteenth century.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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