Geomungo

Unknown

late 19th century · Wood, silk, leather, bone, plastic · Musical Instruments

This zither, typically plucked with a short bamboo stick, is traditionally a scholar’s instrument. Geomungo is also called hyeonhakgeum (현학금), which means "black crane zither," and tradition holds that it was invented around the fourth century by a government official whose playing enticed the bird to dance. This nineteenth-century example is smaller than its modern counterpart, and its thinner silk strings produce a more refined and softer sound.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 19th century

Medium

Wood, silk, leather, bone, plastic

Culture

Korean

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889