Bow Harp

This is an example for an unusual type of bow-and-bridge harp lute, found along the coast of Sierra Leone. The sound box is carved from wood, rather than a calabash, and has a projecting figurehead, as well as hide strings. The earliest examples were collected in the 1790s and are among the earliest collected wooden artefacts from sub-Saharan Africa. The sound box resembles a boat and may have been influenced by the appearance of sailing ships.

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Further Information

  • Type: Musical instruments
  • Object: Bow Harp
  • Materials: Vegetable, organic fibre, Wood, Leather, animal skin
  • Culture Group: Other
  • Dimensions: 600mm [L] x 125mm [W] x 150mm [C]
  • Production Date: Pre 1904
  • Associated Places: Gabon
  • Associated People: Higgins; Turvey Abbey
  • Museum: British Museum
  • Accession Number: BM:Af.1904.-.287

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