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Sitar

1997
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 684
This sitar with 7 melody and 13 sympathetic strings was made in 1997 by Murari Adhikari, son of Nityananda Adhikari, an early 20th-century innovator of sitar construction. Murari continued to incorporate his father's improvements that included elaborate engraving and carving, rounded frets, a concave neck, changes in bridge design, and adjustments that produce an even tone from high to low. Established in 1910 and growing out of an older company, Damodar and Sons, founded in 1882, the Calcutta firm of Kanailal and Brother prospered from the 1920s through the 1960s.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Sitar
  • Maker: Murari Adhikari (Indian, Calcutta 1934–2006 Calcutta)
  • Date: 1997
  • Geography: Calcutta, India
  • Culture: Indian
  • Medium: Teak, ebony, metal, bone, various materials
  • Dimensions: 49 × 13 1/2 × 12 3/16 in. (124.5 × 34.3 × 31 cm)
  • Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
  • Credit Line: Gift of Steven Landsberg, 1999
  • Object Number: 1999.399
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

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