The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 25, 2024
Oliphant (Side-Blown Trumpet)
late 1800s–early 1900s
(most likely)
Overall: 32 x 4 x 6 cm (12 5/8 x 1 9/16 x 2 3/8 in.)
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Kongo Kingdom rulers sent ornately carved large side-blown trumpets to Europe as diplomatic gifts during the sixteenth century.Description
Side-blown trumpets were used on various occasions, and ivory examples seem to have been reserved for more solemn circumstances, such as funerals. As the mouthpiece is located on the inner curve, the person who played this instrument held it horizontally. A seated male Yombe ruler wearing a shell necklace and a European-style cloak and hat is carved on top. His blended dress shows how Yombe people (a Kongo sub-group) selectively adopted elements of foreign dress to wear with their own fashions.- ?-1972(René De Wolf, Brussels, Belgium, sold to René and Odette Delenne)1972-2010René [1901-1998] and Odette Delenne [1925-2012], Brussels, Belgium, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art2010–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Petridis, Constantine, et al. Fragments of the Invisible: The René and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art. Milan: 5 Continents Editions, 2013, 40-41, 45, 112. Reproduced: p, 40-41, 45; mentioned: p. 112, cat. 7
- Fragments of the Invisible: The Rene and Odette Delenne Collection of Congo Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 2013-February 9, 2014).
- {{cite web|title=Oliphant (Side-Blown Trumpet)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s–early 1900s|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.448