Erxian
19th century
Medium
Wood, composition, silk, resin
Dimensions
L: 57.4 cm (22-9/16 in.); Depth: 8.3 cm (3-1/4 in.); Diam. of body: 9.3 cm (3-11/16 in.) see diagram
Classification
Chordophone-Lute-bowed-unfretted
Culture
Chinese
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number
89.4.44
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Erxian*, a exquisite 19th-century two-stringed bowed lute crafted by the esteemed Golden Tone Workshop in China Measuring 57.4 cm in with a slender body diameter of 9.3 cm, this chordophone—classified as a lute-bowed-unfretted instrument—exemplifies the refined woodworking and material mastery of Qing dynasty artisans. Fashioned from wood for its resonant body, silk for the strings, resin for the bow, and composition for decorative elements, the erxian produces haunting, expressive tones through direct bowing on its unfretted neck. In Chinese musical tradition, the erxian played a...