Egyptian / Lute / 3rd-4th Century

Egyptian
Lute
3rd-4th Century
View Larger Image

View Full Catalog Record Below

This image is one of over 108,000 from the AMICA Library (formerly The Art Museum Image Consortium Library- The AMICO Library™), a growing online collection of high-quality, digital art images from over 20 museums around the world. www.davidrumsey.com/amica offers subscriptions to this collection, the finest art image database available on the internet. EVERY image has full curatorial text and can be studied in depth by zooming into the smallest details from within the Image Workspace.

Preview the AMICA Library™ Public Collection in Luna Browser Now

Cultures and time periods represented range from contemporary art, to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works.
Types of works include paintings, drawings, watercolors, sculptures, costumes, jewelry, furniture, prints, photographs, textiles, decorative art, books and manuscripts.

Gain access to this incredible resource through either a monthly or a yearly subscription and search the entire collection from your desktop, compare multiple images side by side and zoom into the minute details of the images. Visit www.davidrumsey.com/amica for more information on the collection, click on the link below the revolving thumbnail to the right, or email us at amica@luna-img.com .

Creator Nationality: African; North African; Egyptian
Creator Name-CRT: Egyptian
Title: Lute
View: Principal view
Creation Start Date: 200
Creation End Date: 399
Creation Date: 3rd-4th Century
Object Type: Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Materials and Techniques: wood
Dimensions: 29 x 5 in. (73.7 x 12.7 cm)
Description:

As an instrument type, the lute is thought to have originated among the West Semites of Syria and was introduced to Egypt as a result of Hyksos influence. Only four examples of the extraordinary type of lute shown here are known to exist. The genre is defined by a long, narrow neck and a sound box shaped by symmetrical indentations, or a "waist," along the sides. Judging from the four surviving examples, dating from the third to eighth centuries, the instrument enjoyed a long life span, appearing in different variants and sizes characteristic of Egypt in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Because of its waisted design and its place in music history, this member of the lute family may be considered a possible predecessor to the guitar, in particular the guitarra morisca.

The slightly rounded back of this lute is covered by a soundboard of thin wood perforated by five ornamentally placed clusters of minuscule sound holes. Four large, slanted holes on the front of the upper neck once held pegs for four strings that reached to the end of the sound box ; a bridge (now lost), would have braced the strings above the soundboard. The lower portion of the neck served as a fingerboard for the left hand, while the right hand most likely held a plectrum to pluck the strings.

AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York
ID Number: 12.182.44
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1912
Copyright: Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/education/er_photo_lib.asp
Style or Period: Roman Byzantine period
AMICA ID: MMA_.12.182.44
AMICA Library Year: 2002
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright (c) 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All Rights Reserved

AMICA PUBLIC RIGHTS: a) Access to the materials is granted for personal and non-commercial use. b) A full educational license for non-commercial use is available from Cartography Associates at www.davidrumsey.com/amica/institution_subscribe.html c) Licensed users may continue their examination of additional materials provided by Cartography Associates, and d) commercial rights are available from the rights holder.