Stringed Instrument (Gayageum)
Asian Art
MEDIUM
Wood, cow bone, mother-of-pearl, cloth
DATES
early 20th century
DIMENSIONS
57 1/16 × 8 11/16 × 2 3/4 in. (145.0 × 22.0 × 7.0 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Asian Art
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
ACCESSION NUMBER
2020.18.17
CREDIT LINE
Gift of the Carroll Family Collection
CAPTION
Stringed Instrument (Gayageum), early 20th century. Wood, cow bone, mother-of-pearl, cloth, 57 1/16 × 8 11/16 × 2 3/4 in. (145.0 × 22.0 × 7.0 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Carroll Family Collection, 2020.18.17 (Photo: Image courtesy of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Professor Roberta L. Carroll, M.D., CUR.TL2020.25.15.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, CUR.TL2020.25.15.jpg. Image courtesy of The Honorable Joseph P. Carroll and Professor Roberta L. Carroll, M.D., 2020
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Twelve-string sanyo gayageum, a stringed instrument played flat like a zither or Chinese qin. Nearly flat and oblong body/sounding board with strings running lengthwise from a narrower end (the head, which sits on the player's knee) to the tuning cords at the opposite side (the tail, which rests on the ground). Each string runs over a bridge or riser arranged rouighly diagonally across the body of the instrument. The instrument is played with both hands plucking on either side of the bridges.
This example is the more modern variant (developed in the 19th century) of the classical Korean gayageum, made smaller with strings closer together to facilitate faster playing. It has inlaid bone, wood, and mother of pearl at the head, forming a frame around a trigram. The tail is carved wood.
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