Lute

Roman/Byzantine

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 684

Strings ran from the top of this instrument’s long neck to the end of the sound box, which has indentations (called the waist) on its sides. The musician’s right hand probably plucked the strings while the left hand used the lower portion of the neck as a fingerboard. This lute is one of only four of the type to survive; the indentations on the sound box suggest that it may be an ancestor of the guitar.

#870. Kids: Lute

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Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine

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Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine
Lute, Wood with traces of paint, Roman/Byzantine

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