Antique African Musical Instrument Harp Kundi Mangbetu Zande Congo 19th century

Description

Antique African Harp Kundi Mangbetu - Zande Congo
Antique African Harp Kundi Mangbetu - Zande Congo
Click images to enlarge
Description
Antique, late 19th century, African Mangbetu or Zande, bow harp, Kundi.
The sound box (Resonator) of the harp is made of wood and covered with snake skin, with one round opening on the anterior surface, and small holes for the strings.
There are no holes in the neck for the tuning pegs since the strings were fastened to the neck by the loops. Since the shape of the neck is conical, the strings were tuned by shifting the loops of the strings to the thicker or thinner part of the neck as required.
This type of harp was made and exchanged among the Mangbetu and Zande kingdoms of the northeastern Congo region. At court entertainments, itinerant minstrels and retainers played gracefully curved bow harps to accompany their stories, poems, and songs.
CONDITION: Showing the age and usage with old patina, the snake skin shrunken on joints, missing strings.
DIMENSIONS: Overall length: 78 cm (30 3/4 in). Length of the sound box: 50.8 cm (15 1/4 in).Width of the blade 14 cm (5 1/2 in). Length of the neck: 42 cm (16 1/2 in).
REFERENCES: A very similar example of the harp is in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum amongst other Kundi harps.
MANGBETU HARP in Christie’s Amsterdam sale 2, July, 2002.
PROVENANCE: From an old Canadian collection of Tribal Art, acquired by the owner's grandfather before WWII
Item number: T68
Payment
PayPal
Shipping
International Shipping Costs will be calculated after the auction based on the purchaser address.
Items will be shipped within 5 business days of receiving payment.
Terms of Sale
All items are guaranteed to be authentic antiques, and not reproductions.
All our artifacts are accompanied by a
Certificate of Authenticity
.
We provide a full money return guarantee if a state museum judges the
artifact to be non-authentic.
Canadian buyers please note: We are required to charge HST or GST on all orders mailed to Canadian
destinations. The invoice we send to Canadian buyers will include the appropriate tax.
About Us
Our business HUNDRED & ONE ANTIQUES is based on a long family tradition of collecting fine European and Oriental Antiques and Art, with a special interest in Antique Arms and Armour.
We have been involved in antique trading since 1970.
Welcome and thank you for visiting
Hundred and One Antiques
Every buyer gets a MyStoreRewards invitation for cash back
Track Page Views With
Auctiva's FREE Counter