id:			94940
accession number:	1915.495
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1915.495
updated:		2020-09-16 09:00:06.525000

Thumb Piano, late 1800s. Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, Chokwe peoples. Wood, iron, and wire; overall: 19.1 x 10.2 x 6.4 cm (7 1/2 x 4 x 2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund 1915.495

title:				Thumb Piano
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			late 1800s
creation date earliest:		1880
creation date latest:		1900
current location:		
creditline:			The Harold T. Clark Educational Extension Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Africa, Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, Chokwe peoples
technique:	Wood, iron, and wire
department:	African Art
collection:	African Art
type:		Musical Instrument
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 19.1 x 10.2 x 6.4 cm (7 1/2 x 4 x 2 1/2 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Chokwe! Art and Initiation Among Chokwe and Related Peoples
	opening date:   1998-11-01T00:00:00
	<i>Chokwe! Art and Initiation Among Chokwe and Related Peoples</i>. Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL (organizer) (November 1, 1998-January 3, 1999); The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (June 13-September 5, 1999); Minneapolis Institute of Arts, MN (October 24, 1999-January 16, 2000).

	title:		Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths
	opening date:   2018-06-03T04:00:00
	<i>Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths</i>. Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA (organizer) (June 3-December 30, 2018); National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC (February 10-October 20, 2019); Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France (November 10, 2019-August 16, 2020).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

* The National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC, Sounding Forms:  African Musical Instruments, April 23-June 18, 1989, repr. p. 131, fig. 74.  Also to:  Richmond, VA, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, July 16-September 10, 1989; Kansas City, MO, Nelson Atkins Museum, October 7-November 26, 1989; Paris, France, Musée des Arts Africains, January 6-March 3, 1990.<br>Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama (November 1, 1998-January 3,1999), Baltimore Museum of Art (June 13-September 5, 1999), The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (October 24, 1999-January 16,  2000)."Chokwe! Art and Initiation Among Chokwe and Related Peoples"<br>Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA  (6/3/2018-12/30/2018), National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC  (2/10/2019-10/20/2019), and Musée du quai Branly, Paris,  France (11/10/2019-3/29/2020):  "Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths"

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact: 
The CMA acquired this plucky instrument in 1915, one year before it opened to the public.

digital description: 


wall description: 
The thumb piano portrays a wonderfully animated man riding a curious quadruped. His hat suggests he is probably a trader.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Wixom, WIlliam D. "African Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art." In <em>African Arts</em>. 10, no. 3. (April 1977): 16-25.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 16; reproduced: p. 19
	url:		https://www.jstor.org/stable/3335296

	Petridis, Constantine. "A World of Great Art for Everyone." In <em>Representing Africa in American Art Museums: A Century of Collecting and </em>Display, edited by Kathleen Bickford Berzock and Christa Clarke, 104-121. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2011.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 104; reproduced: p. 105, fig. 5.1
	url:		

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.495/1915.495_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.495/1915.495_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.495/1915.495_full.tif