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Lute

200–500
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Lute
  • Date: 200–500
  • Geography: Made in Egypt
  • Culture: Roman/Byzantine
  • Medium: Wood with traces of paint
  • Dimensions: Overall: 4 3/4 x 1 7/16 x 28 13/16 in. (12 x 3.7 x 73.2 cm)
  • Classification: Woodwork-Miscellany
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1912
  • Object Number: 12.182.44a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters

Audio

Cover Image for 870. Kids: Lute

870. Kids: Lute

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