France
Erocle Mezzetti

Terracotta, metal, cork
ca. 1870s-1880s
Length: 7.2 in; Height: 3.7 in
Wind Instruments – Woodwind – Flutes – Fipple (Duct) – Ocarina

Signed: “Fabricant e. Mezzetti a Paris” / 6 / NAPOD / (Face)

The ocarina is a vessel duct-flute aerophone found worldwide.  It is made in a variety of shapes and sizes and made from various types of materials.  This early terra cotta (earthenware) ocarina is shaped like a sweet potato, with a mouthpiece extension on the side for the internal duct to direct the airstream against a beveled edge. There are eight finger holes including one right hand double hole on the top side and two thumb holes on the opposite side just above the duct beveled edge opening.  Unlike many other ocarinas, it has a sliding metal stopper/rod, used to alter the fundamental pitch. 

This ocarina is made by Italian Erocle Mezzetti.  Erocle and his brother Alberto, were apprentices to Guiseppe Luigi Donai, the inventor of the standard western ocarina invented and named in 1853.  The Mezzetti brothers traveled to France in 1870 to produce ocarinas.  They are recognized for the musical quality of their ocarinas and earned awards at exhibitions in Paris, Edinburgh, and cities around the world.

Resource: https://omeka-s.grinnell.edu/s/MusicalInstruments/ item/1795;  Campbell, Murray, Clive Greated, and Arnold Meyers. 2004. Musical Instruments: History, Technology, and Performance of Instruments of Western Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press.