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The heart-shaped wood body on this early sitar is decorated with ivory inlay showing vegetal designs and the Tree of Life. Unlike the modern instrument, the sitar at this time did not have sympathetic strings.
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Title: Sitar
Date: mid-19th century
Geography: India
Culture: Indian
Medium: Wood
Dimensions: 53 1/2 × 14 13/16 × 3 1/2 in. (135.9 × 37.6 × 8.9 cm)
Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number: 89.4.190
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