Sihu (四胡 )

Unknown

19th century · Redwood, snakeskin, bamboo, horsehair · Musical Instruments

Two stringed bowed lutes (huqin) were introduced to China by nomadic Mongols sometime during the Yuan dynasty (1280-1368). Bow hairs passing between the strings may reflect the Mongol's need to secure the bow to the instrument while on horseback. Huqin are played vertically on the knee, fingered with the left hand and bowed with the right. In earlier times there existed a greater variety of local fiddles, but today standard sizes, much like the European family of violins, are most common. This four string fiddle appears occasionally in the opera but is more closely associated with drum songs, along with sanxian, pipa, and yangqin.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Redwood, snakeskin, bamboo, horsehair

Culture

Chinese

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889