Description:

East Asia, China, Qing dynasty, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A traditional string instrument known as a rawap from Xinjiang province of Western China that is finely carved from wood with a dried snakeskin stretched across the wooden bowl, similar to a banjo, and intricately adorned with bone inlays. Interestingly, when playing a rawap, only some of the strings are plucked with a plectrum. The other strings are known as sympathetic strings; these vibrate in response to the actively struck strings. What distinguishes rawap instruments are the goat horns that extend from the fretted neck above and curve toward the wooden bowl. A most intriguing string instrument, the rawap originated in the 14th century in southern Xinjiang. Size: 4" L x 4.5" W x 22" H (10.2 cm x 11.4 cm x 55.9 cm)

Provenance: private Morrison, Colorado, USA collection

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#163276

  • Condition: Expected surface wear with minute nicks/chips to finish and inlays. One of the pegs is missing its head. Some wear to snakeskin.

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April 1, 2021 10:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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