Description
K.0007 is a
side-blown trumpet made from two raw materials: ivory and leather (Figure 1). The
cream-coloured body is carved from a single piece of elephant ivory. The bell is
covered in a piece of reddish-brown leather that extends past where the ivory
ends (Figure 2). Three sets of woven and plaited mid-brown matte embellishments
are held onto the trumpet by two leather braces.
Figure
1. Side (left) and front (right) bird’s eye view of trumpet K.0007.
Author’s
own, 2019.
|
Figure
2. The red area shows where the ivory is and ends. The blue circle highlights where the dip in the leather
can be seen on the leather bell.
Author’s
own, 2019.
|
Decorative elements (Figure 3)
A protruding diamond-shaped
embouchure and anthropomorphic design have been carved into its concave side. The
leather straps and embellishments consist of multiple parts (Figure 4).
Manufacture
The tusk has
been hollowed out and polished, the markings from which are visible with a
DinoLite (Figure 5). The embouchure and anthropomorphic design were carved with
a fretsaw, chisel, and gauge, rather than a more clear-cut electric saw (Tikkanen
2019).
Figure 5. DinoLite images at x50
magnification of the ivory body, showing horizontal and vertical tool marks.
Author’s own, 2019.
|
It is likely
that the leather is vegetable tanned, with fats and oils added to increase flexibility
(CCI Notes 1992:1). The embellishments were created through weaving and
plaiting. The leather on the bell was probably wrapped around the ivory wet, to
make it so form-fitting.
Context,
Biography, and Values
The Ethnographic
Collections’ database states that K.0007 is West African and originally from
the Wellcome Collection. It is likely to be from the Democratic Republic of
Congo and possibly the Mangbetu people, from the characteristic nature of the
anthropomorphic carving (Montagu 2014:14).
K.0007 could have
been used for making music, signalling during hunting, and as surrogate speech (Rycroft
2001). Ivory trumpets are seen as prestigious due to ivory’s value and protective
powers (Curnow 2018:69), but also their association with tribe leaders
and elders (Moore 2015).
Trumpets with
anthropomorphic carvings are very rare across Africa. Additionally, from
comparative examples, K.0007’s leather embellishments are unique. The trumpet was
valued by the Mangbetu people associated with it, significantly for its use, imbedded
ancestry, prestige, and craftsmanship. The latter three are still values it
holds today. Students, researchers, and the collection should retain these
tangible and intangible values which could become even more significant in the
future due to its rarity.
Assessment of Condition
Overall, K.0007 is structurally sound and complete but
potential concerns have been mapped in Figure 6. The main structural concern is
the moderate fracture on the large brace. There is one crack in the ivory, but
this is structurally stable. The main surface losses come from potential red
rot degradation, evident from its bright red and flaky nature, on the leather
bell. Both the cracks and red rot should be consolidated to prevent future
deterioration.
Figure 6. Damage report map of potential
condition concerns.
Author’s own, 2019.
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Bibliography
CCI Notes.
1992. “Care of Alum, Vegetable, and Mineral Tanned Leather” CCI Notes 8/2. Canadian
Conservation Institute.
Cultural Heritage
Agency. 2014. Assessing Museum
Collections: Collection valuation in six steps. Amersfoort: Cultural
Heritage Agency NL.
Curnow. K. 2018.
“Ivory as Cultural Document: The Crushing Burden of Conservation” in The Museum Journal 61:1.
Dirksen, V. 1997. “The Degradation and Conservation
of Leather” in Journal of Conservation and Museum Studies
3:6-10.
Mason,
R. 2002. “Assessing values in conservation planning: methodological issues and
choices” in de la Torre, M. (ed.) Assessing the Values of
Cultural Heritage. Los Angeles: The Getty Conservation Institute, pp.
5-30.
Montagu, J. 2014. Horns and Trumpets of the World: An
Illustrated Guide. Lanham, MD and Plymouth: Rowman & Littlefield.
Moore, K. 2015. “The Status and Power of Ivory Trumpets” Retrieved
on 16 February 2019 from
https://metmuseum.org/blogs/of-note/2015/status-and-power-of-ivory-trumpets.
Rycroft, D.K. 2001. “Side-blown trumpet” in Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Stone, T. 2010. “Care of Ivory, Bone, Horn,
and Antler” CCI Notes 6/1. Canadian
Conservation Institute.
Tikkanen, A. 2019.
“Ivory Carving” in The Encyclopaedia
Britannica. Retrieved on 16 February 2019 from https://www.britannica.com/art/ivory-carving#ref3612.
UCL Ethnographic Collections Online Catalogue. 2019. http://ethcat.museums.ucl.ac.uk/.
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