4186 by Meso & Central American Sound Library Project

Unprovenienced double edge-tone fipple flute type with open-constricted tubes drilled with four finger holes and two rear tuning holes. The mouthpiece is decorated with an anthropo-zoomorphic head, maybe a human being with white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) features (bulging eyes & lanceolate ears). The figure is shown playing an aerophone, while the cylindrical tubes seem to represent his lower limbs.

Object registered under accession number #4186 was purchased from the Galerie Émile Deletaille on January 20, 1965, by the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM), Brussels.

We assume that 4186 was manufactured during the Comala Phase (AD 100-600) or Epiclasic Period (AD 700-900) in Colima or 'Ciénaga de Chapala' Zone, towards the Briseñas region where the Lerma River flows into Lake Chapala. The latter region straddles the border between the present-day states of Michoacán and Jalisco.

Overall dimensions (height x width x depth): 17,24 x 6,11 x 3,48 (cm).

Please click on the track names for additional pictures or µ-CT scans and 3D renderings of 4186.

The MCASL Project aims to share, visually and sonically, a sample of the large pre-Columbian era sound-producing artifacts collection from Mesoamerica and Central America housed at the Royal Museums of Art and History (KMKG-MRAH), Brussels. The development of this audio/data library is part of Jean-François Brohée's doctoral research, funded by a FRESH grant of the F.R.S.-FNRS.