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Kora
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The kora is an instrument that has 21 strings. This example is now missing many, which would have been tied along its long neck. The strings are plucked with the fingers, causing the sound to resonate in the half-sphere-shaped gourd body. Stitch marks on the back show that many cracks on the gourd were repaired in the past.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineKora, before 1918. Africa, unknown maker. Gourd, wood, rawhide, string, and rope; diameter: 32.4 cm (12 3/4 in.); overall: 111.8 cm (44 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr., 1918.352
