Red Brown Mamma Hen

'People think only female mammals look after the young, but did you know hens start taking care of their chicks even before they are hatched? They make clucking sounds the chicks can hear while they are still inside the egg,' says Felix Carballo about the inspiration for this ocarina vessel flute. The Nicaraguan artisan crafts the ceramic ocarina by hand detailing the feathers with a bicycle spoke and eyes with a fine paint brush. Carballo prepares the different colors by pulverizing stones and using a brush to splash the color, successfully achieving an aged effect. This ocarina features two tonal perforations on either side of the body, and the tail is the mouth piece.

Ocarinas are one of the oldest musical instruments on the planet. Originally designed like a vessel with up to 13 perforations, ocarinas are now crafted in a variety of styles. In Mesoamerica, ocarinas usually take the form of a bird.