“Darbuka”, drum used as a musical instrument at weddings and other joyous celebrations, [North Africa (Tunisia?), early decades of the 20th century].
Painted earthenware; leather; string and synthetic cord.
Earthenware drum with a broad upper opening and a narrow leg, tapering gently downward toward the base. The opening on top is covered with a circular sheet of leather for percussion. The body of the drum is encircled with decorative bands and grooves, carved into the ceramic material. It is colorfully painted with patterns of flowers and tendrils. Inscribed on the bottom of the spherical part of the body is a dedicatory inscription in Judeo-Arabic: “Lahaba’ab Walsa’ha’ab : Ul-masu’ah : Ladamt : Farh :” [“To the beloved and to the friends, may you be forever joyful”].

The words in the dedicatory inscription derive, among other contexts, from a well-known Tunisian Jewish wedding ritual, namely the special celebration conducted following the wedding ceremony to honor the guests and all individuals who contributed wedding gifts. Musicians played a decidedly prominent role in this particular celebration; the guests would gravitate toward tables overladen with all manner of delectable dishes while being pleasantly serenaded by the musicians. The guests would customarily shower the families of the bride and groom with monetary gifts to help allay the burdensome financial costs of the wedding – including payment for the musicians – and would hand their donations to the master of ceremonies. The emcee would then bombastically announce – often in rhyme – the sum gifted by any given individual or couple, in honor of the bride and groom and in honor of the “haba’ab” and “sa’ha’ab” – “the beloved and the friends” – that is, the guests attending the wedding.
For information regarding this custom and ceremony, see: “Jewish Communities in the East in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: The Life Cycle, ” by Shalom Sabar. Jerusalem, Israel Ministry of Education and the Ben Zvi Institute, 2006 (Hebrew), p. 262.

Height: 38.5 cm. Maximum diameter: 25 cm. Good condition. Minor fractures and fissures, mostly to lower rim of leg. Blemishes to paint. Tiny holes and minor scratches to leather. Two small drills towards the lower part of the earthenware body.

PLEASE NOTE: Item descriptions were shortened in translation. For further information, please refer to Hebrew text.