Collection record · Objects & craft
Tanbūr
The collection record classifies this work as musical instrument. It is dated late 1800s. Recorded culture or place: Syria or Turkey, Ottoman period (1299–1922).
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Tanbūr
- Date
- late 1800s
- Culture / origin
- Syria or Turkey, Ottoman period (1299–1922)
- Materials and technique
- Wood, bone, mother-of-pearl, and wire
- Dimensions
- Overall: 58.4 x 10.5 cm (23 x 4 1/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1918.347
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
This long-necked lute collected in Ottoman Syria possesses traits that are Syrian, Turkish, and Iranian and provides an example of the musical interaction between cultures. It is an ancient instrument and resembles lutes used in Pharaonic Egypt and Mesopotamia. In its many forms, the tanbūr was a common instrument throughout the Islamic world. It is often used as a solo instrument in both sacred and secular contexts. Burn marks decorate the pear-shaped body along with inlaid dots of mother-of-pearl, which may also have helped with navigation of the fret board by the player.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr. · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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