Male Harp Player of the Early Spedos TypeGetty Conversations

A conversation with Nicole Budrovich, Curatorial Assistant, Getty Museum, and Beth Harris, Executive Director, Smarthistory, in front of Male Harp Player of the Early Spedos Type, Cyclades, 2700–2300 B.C.E, marble, 35.8 x 9.5 x 28.1 cm. Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Four thousand years ago, in the Cycladic Islands in the Aegean Sea, a sculptor carved this figure from a block of marble. The culture of this time and place had a strong oral tradition, and this sculpture begs one to wonder who this figure is, what he is singing, and who he is singing for.

Getty has joined forces with Smarthistory to bring you an in-depth look at select works within our collection, whether you’re looking to learn more at home or want to make art more accessible in your classroom. This video series illuminates art history concepts through fun, unscripted conversations between art historians, curators, archaeologists, and artists, committed to a fresh take on the history of visual arts.

View the Getty Conversations series

Learn more about “Male Harp Player of the Early Spedos Type” in Getty’s collection online

Subscribe to the Getty Museum YouTube channel

Additional resources

Pat Getz-Preziosi, Early Cycladic Sculpture, rev. ed. (Malibu: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1994).

Martin van Schaik, The Marble Harp Players from the Cyclades (Utrecht: Dutch Study Group on Music Archaeology [NWM], 1998).