Flute (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Elegantly carved flutes—as much sculptures as they are musical instruments—are highly prized possessions of Nuna and Dafing men. Flutes are played along with drums and balafons (a kind of xylophone) to provide music for the masks as they are danced.The note patterns of these flutes imitate the cadences and tonalities of the spoken word and songs of praise for masks, warriors, and champion farmers. This well-worn but carefully preserved flute shows how treasured these instruments are as they arepassed down in families for generations.
Kathleen Boone Samuels Memorial Fund
The Fine Art of African Musical Instruments. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 15 Sept. 1999 - 31 July 2000.
Spirit of the Motherland. Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, VA., July - October 1995; Peninsula FAC, Newport News, VA., January - May 1995.
Sounding Forms: African Musical Instruments. organized by the American Federation of the Arts, tour: National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC. 23 April - 18 June 1989; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 16 July - 10 September 1989; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. 7 Oct. - 3 Dec. 1989; Musee des Arts Africains et Oceaniens, Paris, France, 25 Jan. - 20 March 1990.
Spirit of the Motherland. Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, VA., July - October 1995; Peninsula FAC, Newport News, VA., January - May 1995.
Sounding Forms: African Musical Instruments. organized by the American Federation of the Arts, tour: National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC. 23 April - 18 June 1989; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, 16 July - 10 September 1989; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. 7 Oct. - 3 Dec. 1989; Musee des Arts Africains et Oceaniens, Paris, France, 25 Jan. - 20 March 1990.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
