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Quadruple bell

This is a rare quadruple bell made of wood in cruciform shape that came from "Old Calabar." The instrument is built with two sections carved with a cube-shaped bell on both ends that join together at the center stems through a halving joint, thus making a cross. Each bell has three internal wooden clappers. It would be used as a dancing rattle, where the player would hold the instrument at the center of the cross handle and shaken to produce sound.

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  • Decorative elements:A floral pattern has been burnt into the surface of the bells, and a repetitive crisscross design over the handles.
  • Inscriptions:
  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:111.242.222 (Sets of) clapper bells
  • Repository:Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
  • Measurements:Length(s): 230 x 230mm