Featured Help ID Tribal Rattle/Whistle ?

Discussion in 'Tribal Art' started by bosko69, Aug 21, 2026 at 10:16 AM.

  1. bosko69

    bosko69 Well-Known Member

    Found at a garage sale in Portland,OR on a table w/ repro & fantasy pre-Columbian ceramics. It caught my eye because of perceived (???) age-of course 99.9999% of theses artifacts are phony.
    Polychrome surface seems to have age wear,cracking shows signs of glue,2 holes on base-with a large pea-size free rolling ball inside.Degradation of base glaze clay poss long-term ground contact ?
    Shaken it makes a rattling sound-no sound when I blow on either of the large holes or the mouth slit.
    Size- 7 1/2" lngth X 4 3/4" wdth X 3 1/4" ht.
    Any opinions or info welcome-thanks !
    PS- Will be hitting garage sales for nxt 3-5 hrs, sorry if incommunicado. Rattle 1.jpg Rattle 2.jpg Rattle 3.jpg Rattle Bck Clseup Crack.jpg Rattle Face.jpg Rattle Belly Clseup.jpg
     
    Boland, wlwhittier, verybrad and 4 others like this.
  2. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

  3. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

  4. bosko69

    bosko69 Well-Known Member

    Thanks @2manybooks- ditto,Costa Rica was the only country of origin I could find for turtle rattles/ocarinas that didn't have much in the way of feet.
    I never buy these pieces, but this one was suspiciously authentic-looking.
    PS- Will shoot some pics to museums & auction houses. Note, even if authentic-not a priceless item, but just finding the real thing'd be a kick !
     
  5. Potteryplease

    Potteryplease Well-Known Member

    Good find Bosko--- I think it looks promising too.
     
    bosko69, wlwhittier and Any Jewelry like this.
  6. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Promising and charming. Always love that colour combination.
     
    bosko69, wlwhittier and Potteryplease like this.
  7. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    Good fer yew, Bosko!
     
    bosko69 likes this.
  8. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    I don't see how that's a whistle..?
     
    bosko69 and 2manybooks like this.
  9. 2manybooks

    2manybooks Well-Known Member

    Some of them are just rattles.
     
    bosko69 and wlwhittier like this.
  10. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    wouldn't the stones fall out of this one?
     
    bosko69 likes this.
  11. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Maybe the crack in the shell prevents successful whistling by letting air escape instead of going all the way through?

    It's a wonderfully well observed turtle face.
     
    2manybooks, bosko69 and wlwhittier like this.
  12. bosko69

    bosko69 Well-Known Member

    Thanks for all the observations-quite a unique find for me ! Can't recall ever finding a possible piece of classical excavated (burial ?) archaeology at a garage sale before-never anything this obvious at least.
    @2manybooks -Yep, think it's a rattle (not whistle)
    @komokwa - Will post an illuminated pic of the interior,and you'll see how big the ball is (lks more like a fired ball of clay than a stone).The ball was placed inside the the body before it was sealed, painted and finally fired.
    @Bronwen -ditto, love the face.
    Here's a pic I just shot of the interior w/ the ball (that 'rattles' round).

    Turtle Rattle Interior.jpg
     
  13. wlwhittier

    wlwhittier Well-Known Member

    Wot a clevious fellow!
     
    Bronwen and bosko69 like this.
  14. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Some modern whistles have a ball inside, & this looks like it has the hole you can put your thumb over to change the pitch. Maybe it also served as a rattle , but I think whistle too. Maybe a pre-Columbian one-man band.
     
    wlwhittier, komokwa, bosko69 and 2 others like this.
  15. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Doesn't it have two holes in the belly, one near the head and one near the tail?
     
    wlwhittier, komokwa and bosko69 like this.
  16. bosko69

    bosko69 Well-Known Member

    Yep AJ- 2 holes,a head and tail one.
    "Pre-Columbian Costa Rican ceramic whistles & rattles (ca. 800–1525 A.D.) frm regions like Línea Vieja & the Diquís) are ancient clay instruments shaped like animals or humans. They served sacred ceremonial duties, shamanic rituals, or status expression, containing small loose clay pellets to rattle alongside air ducts to whistle." -The Met Museum.
    Seems some were combo instruments (whistle & rattle), and some may have been single-purpose (whistle OR rattle) I think ?
    The Artisans appear to have had a fair amount of freedom in fashioning these little pieces.
     
    wlwhittier, komokwa and Any Jewelry like this.
Draft saved Draft deleted
Similar Threads: Help Tribal
Forum Title Date
Tribal Art Help with Tribal Beaded Sash Nov 11, 2023
Tribal Art Help Needed - identify bronze tribal ornaments Dec 30, 2021
Tribal Art Help with Bone necklace, Tribal or Artisan Jun 30, 2021
Tribal Art Please Help -Tribal African Art Statues Jun 9, 2021
Tribal Art Need help with tons of tribal masks May 11, 2021

Share This Page