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Female Musician Playing a Zither
Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE)
Not on view
This kneeling musician, together with the two other musicians and two dancers in this gallery, once formed part of a troupe of performers interred with a deceased prince to entertain him in the afterlife. She was excavated together with her instrument, the realistic depiction of which allows for its identification as a se, a type of zither. Music and dance played a crucial part in court rituals, and the number of dancers and musicians made available to nobles was a prerogative based on rank. Therefore, these earthenware performers may reflect the permitted scope of such fanfare for this prince.
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