|
Date: |
|
Description: | An incomplete post-Medieval cast copper-alloy double-pronged Jews harp (c. AD 1500-c. 1800).In plan, it has a semi-circular head and tapering arms all of which are characteristically lozenge-shaped in cross-section. However, the majority of one arm is missing due to a break. It has a central integral arm (pointed-oval in cross-section) situated at the centre of the head, and prior to being misshapen, extended along the centre line between the prongs. The end of the arm is missing due to a break. On the front face, either side of the arm, there is a rabbet to accommodate an iron prong. Each prong is extant within the rabbet only. The remainder is lost. There is iron staining around each rabbet. The surfaces are mainly covered with light green corrosion products and there are no visible file marks.69.71 x 56.68 x 8.67mm. Weight: 43.01g.Geoff Egan, formerly 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.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete cast copper-alloy Jews…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete and slightly misshapen…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete post-Medieval cast copper-alloy…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete post-Medieval cast copper-alloy…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete post-Medieval cast or…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete and corroded post-Medieval…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete and corroded post-Medieval…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete post-Medieval cast copper-alloy…
-
JEWS HARP
An incomplete post-Medieval cast copper-alloy…
|