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Source Description
The term <em>pipa</em>, known since the 3rd century BC, describes the playing motion of the right hand: <em>pi</em>, “to play forward” (left), and <em>pa</em>, “to play backward” (right). A type of lute played with the fingers, it is used in opera and storytelling ensembles and has an impressive, virtuosic solo repertoire. Historic imagery, such as wall paintings, documents the spread of the pipa, along the Silk Road from western and central Asia to China. The bat finial here is a commonly used device on 19th-century Chinese lutes symbolizing good luck.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98644
label
Pipa
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98644
contentType
object
title
Pipa
description
The term <em>pipa</em>, known since the 3rd century BC, describes the playing motion of the right hand: <em>pi</em>, “to play forward” (left), and <em>pa</em>, “to play backward” (right). A type of lute played with the fingers, it is used in opera and storytelling ensembles and has an impressive, virtuosic solo repertoire. Historic imagery, such as wall paintings, documents the spread of the pipa, along the Silk Road from western and central Asia to China. The bat finial here is a commonly used device on 19th-century Chinese lutes symbolizing good luck.
date
1800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79485128
genreSpecific
Musical Instrument
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 95.4 x 27.4 x 8 cm (37 9/16 x 10 13/16 x 3 1/8 in.)
cul
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
accession
1918.344
Source extras
tec
Wood, ivory, bone, gut
tombstone
Pipa (琵琶), 1800s. China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Wood, ivory, bone, gut; overall: 95.4 x 27.4 x 8 cm (37 9/16 x 10 13/16 x 3 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr., 1918.344
titleInOriginalLanguage
琵琶
collection
Chinese Art
didYouKnow
The string holder is made of bone.
citations
citation
"Accessions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 5, no. 8/9 (1918): 82-85.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 82
citation
D. S. M. "Exhibition of Musical Instruments." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 8, no. 9 (1921): 134-43.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 134-137
citation
Peng, Wei 彭薇, and Clarissa von Spee. <em>Migrations of Memory: The Poetry and Power of Music by Chinese Artist Peng Wei in Collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>= 平沙落雁—音樂的詩意與力量: 中國藝術家彭薇與克利夫蘭藝術博物館合作. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2021.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 14
creditline
The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr.
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:19:34.629000
sourceId
98644
dept
Chinese Art
coll
Chinese Art
med
Wood, ivory, bone, gut
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
0ef5efd608882175