Ennanga

Ennanga

Ganda

Details

Dimensions
Height: 29 15/16 in. (76 cm) Width: 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
Origin
Ganda people
Department
Musical Instruments
Holding institution
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889

Art Genome Taxonomy

10 tags

Artistic Disciplines

  • Music Both · 99%

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art classifies *Ennanga* as a chordophone-harp, and the image clearly shows a stringed instrument with a resonating body, curved neck, and tuning pegs.

Visual Qualities

  • Curvilinear Forms Visual · 99%

    The neck forms a pronounced continuous curve extending upward from the rounded body, making curvilinear construction the dominant formal feature.

  • Slender Visual · 97%

    The instrument has a markedly elongated profile, with a narrow neck and fine strings extending well beyond the broader resonating body.

  • Single Object Visual · 99%

    The photograph isolates one complete instrument against a plain blue background.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The museum dates the object to the 19th century, specifically within the supplied date range of 1801–1900.

Geographic Regions

  • African Art Metadata · 95%

    The catalog records the place of origin or cultural attribution as the Ganda people, supporting its placement within African art.

Materials

  • Wood Both · 99%

    Wood is listed in the catalog medium, and the body, neck, and tuning structure visibly appear to be wooden.

  • Natural Fibers Metadata · 88%

    Vegetal fiber is explicitly listed in the museum's medium description, although its specific location is not visually identifiable.

  • Leather/Hide Metadata · 90%

    The catalog lists snake skin and hide among the materials; the photograph shows a skin-like resonating surface, but does not independently establish the precise material.

Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects

  • Musical Instrument Both · 99%

    The catalog identifies the object as a musical instrument, while the photograph visibly presents its body, strings, neck, and tuning mechanisms.

Source & rights

Ganda. Ennanga. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.