Tambourine

The tambourine is among the oldest of percussion instruments and today is spread worldwide. In many cultures, it is taboo for women to play percussion instruments, but the tambourine is an exception to this, perhaps because it often has the same frame as a grain sieve – and sieving grain was always a woman’s work.

With a diameter of a good half metre, the tambourine here is an exceptionally large example. The frivolous scene painted on its skin likewise makes the instrument something special. A young couple dance around the May-tree (the symbol of fertility), the maid holding her little cage open for the little bird of the youth.

The tambourine was often used to set the rhythm of the dance, as with the Italian tarantella, where it supports the bagpipes or accordion.