This kind of trumpet is rare in Germany.
What is it?
This ceramic trumpet, found in Bavaria, is more than 200 years old. Measuring 44cm long, the instrument comprises a coiled clay tube that was probably pressed using a ring-shaped template, while the clay bell was created on a potter’s wheel. Two vertical braces placed between the curved sections of the tube provide additional stability. The object’s shape is reminiscent of metal trumpets; however, it is a ‘natural trumpet’, meaning that it does not have valves or keys, so different tones are created solely by the tension of the player’s lips. The trumpet is noteworthy for its precise craftsmanship, as well as the silvery glaze that covers the instrument in some areas.
Where was it found, and when?
The trumpet was discovered in 2022 during excavations in Dorfen, in the Erding district of Upper Bavaria, Germany. It was found broken into eight pieces in the fill layer of the moat that once surrounded the inner town, in an area used by the tanning industry, not far from one of Dorfen’s town gates. Other artefacts discovered alongside the trumpet date it to the late 18th or early 19th century. Restoration work carried out by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Sites (BLfD) has made it possible to reassemble the object almost entirely; it is only missing the mouthpiece and part of the bell.
