Lyre (ndongo, endongo, entongoli, or kissar)

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image depicts a Lyre with a round, flat body made of light-colored wood or animal skin with a pattern of darker spots. The body is approximately circular with a hole on the left side. Two long, thin wooden poles are attached to the top of the body and extend upwards, connected by a horizontal pole. Strings made of thin fibers are stretched from the bottom of the body to the horizontal pole, secured with a bundle of fibers. The background of the image is dark at the top and light at the bottom, suggesting a spotlight effect. The instrument appears to be an ancient or traditional stringed instrument, specifically a Lyre, also known as ndongo, endongo, entongoli, or kissar.