Pochette

Unknown

17th century · Wood, tortoise shell, silver, gut · Musical Instruments

Dancing was an expected aristocratic accomplishment. Instruction was given at home by a visiting dance master, who played a small fiddle to provide music for the lessons. The compact, slender shape of these instruments made them easy to transport and gave them the name pochette, which suggests that they were carried in one's coat pocket. Elaborately decorated pochettes made of precious materials were often seen and collected as art objects in their own right.

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th century

Medium

Wood, tortoise shell, silver, gut

Culture

German

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

Purchase, Robert Alonzo Lehman Bequest, 2004