Mossi Wood Whistle or Flute, Based

Hollow wooden cage of angular ribs on a black base, with a string trailing out.

This Mossi wooden whistle or flute on a base is Mossi, from Burkina Faso, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. Simple wind instruments such as whistles and end-blown flutes are found in many parts of Africa, and carved wooden examples are sometimes displayed on stands for their sculptural form. Dark wooden form with a flat T-shaped top and four angled struts framing an open center. A twisted brown cord hangs from the lower end, and the grain is weathered and cracked on the thin faceted legs. It is 2.75 inches wide, 1 deep and 8.5 high.

All skeleton, no flesh, and unusually elegant.