Pair of Hand Wands
Date: New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, about 1479-1298 BCE
Dimensions:
Left: L: 11 3/4 in. (29.9 cm); Right: L: 11 15/16 in. (30.3 cm).
Medium: Wood with inlaid wood decoration.
Place of Origin: Egypt
Classification: Utilitarian Objects
Credit Line: Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey.
Object number: 1925.145A-B
Label Text:Pairs of clappers in the form of human arms and hands were popular musical instruments. They were tied together and played by shaking them so that they clacked together. Also called clap sticks or hand wands, clappers were often tomb gifts because their form and the noise they made were believed to drive away harmful spirits in this life and the next. This pair’s elongated, graceful lines and elegant craftsmanship are typical of New Kingdom art.
DescriptionCarved wood; hands and forearms perhaps of sycamore wood, bracelets and fingernails of inlays of a darker wood.
On view
In Collection(s)