Italy
Unknown

Wood, deer skin, metal, pigment
ca. 1890s
Diameter: 11.5 inches
Percussion – Indefinite Pitch – Frame Drum

A vintage Victorian hand painted tambourine from Italy.  The single-headed skin head attached to the wooden frame by metal tacks, has a beautiful detailed oil painting of two young ladies.  Three sets of two metal disc jingles (6 zils) are inserted into the circular wooden frame drum.   The tambourine name comes from ‘tambourin’ which is French derived from the word ‘tambour’ which means drum. 

Tambourines originated in the Far East and can be traced back to the time of Mesopotamia – the beginning of recorded history ca. 3100 BC.  The Hebrew called them ‘tof’ and ancient Greece and Rome referred to them as ‘tympanum’ or ‘tympanon.’  They were easy to play as rhythm instruments and used for religious functions. 

Resource: https://www.cmuse.org/tambourine/