Harp, late 19th century, 22 1/2 x 6 3/8 x 23 3/4 in. ( x x cm), Wood, animal skin, Democratic Republic of Congo or Central African Republic, 19th century, It may resemble a guitar and sound like a lute. But with five strings running perpendicular to its sound box, rather than strung across it, this is a harp—a bow harp, in fact, owing to its shape. A century ago, among the Nzakara people in Central Africa, court poets praised—and sometimes critiqued—the deeds of past and present kings to the accompaniment of a bow harp

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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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