Arched Harp

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Arched Harp (shoulder harp) ca. 1390–1295 B.C. New Kingdom

This type of portable, boat-shaped arched harp was common during the New Kingdom and is shown in the hands of processional female musicians performing alone or in ensembles with singers, wind instruments, sistrums, and rattles. The end of the arched frame is decorated with the head of a Nubian captive who appears to be bound by the strings of the harp.