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Human effigy whistle
Carchi
A.D. 1000–1400
Object Place: Ecuador, North Coast
Medium/Technique
Earthenware: unslipped
Dimensions
8.2 x 5.6 x 4.3 cm (3 1/4 x 2 3/16 x 1 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William and Shirley Epstein
Accession Number1995.746
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas, Musical Instruments
ClassificationsMusical instruments – Aerophones
DescriptionSeated human effigy whistle. The figure's hands either rest on his/her bended knees or grasp her breasts. She(?) wears a wide collar or necklace perhaps composed of multiple strings of tubular beads and a typical wide nose ring and elongated ear ornaments. The fan-shaped headdress has been reconstructed in modern times, the only original section being that directly above the face.
Provenance1960s, acquired in Ecuador or Peru by William Epstein (b. 1914 - d. 2002) and Shirley Epstein (b. 1925 - d. 2009), Brookline, MA and Palm Beach, FL; 1995, gift of William and Shirley Epstein to the MFA. (Accession Date: November 15, 1995)