Detail View: The AMICA Library: Pipa
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AMICA ID:
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MMA_.50.145.74
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AMICA Library Year:
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2000
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Object Type:
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Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
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Creator Name:
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Unknown
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Creator Nationality:
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Asian; Far East Asian; Chinese
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Creator Role:
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Artist
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Unknown Maker
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Title:
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Pipa
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Title Type:
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Object name
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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undated
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Materials and Techniques:
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Wood, ivory, bone, silk
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Classification Term:
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Chordophone with neck/plucked
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Dimensions:
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Total L. 37 in. (94 cm); L. of body 23 in. (58.4 cm); Max W. of body 10 in. (25.3 cm); Max D. of body 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm); L. of pegs 4 3/8 in. (11 cm); Vibrating L. of strings 27 in. (68.7 cm)
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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New York, New York, USA
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ID Number:
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50.145.74
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Credit Line:
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Bequest of Mary Stillman Harkness, 1950
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Rights:
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Context:
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The word pipa describes the plucking motion of the right hand: pi, means 'to play forward' and pa, 'to play backward.' The pipa descends from western and central Asian prototypes and appeared in China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534). Originally it was held horizontally and played with a large plectrum, but Tang dynasty (618-906) musicians began using their fingernails to pluck the silk strings, and the instrument was then held upright. The back of this extraordinary pipa is a symmetrical 'beehive' of 110 hexagonal ivory plaques, each carved with a Daoist, Buddhist, or Confucian symbol. The instrument was probably made as a gift for nobility, possibly for a wedding. |
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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MMA_.mi50.145.74.R.tif
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