Pair of Clappers

New Kingdom, Amarna Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 121

These clappers in the form of human hands were carved from a single hippopotamus tusk that was split in half. Such percussion instruments were used to keep time during dances or as part of a musical ensemble. These examples, however, were found in a miniature coffin at Amarna and seem to have been part of an offering.

Pair of Clappers, Hippopotamus ivory

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