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Stringed Instrument, Sarod thumbnail 2
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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Stringed Instrument, Sarod

mid 19th century (made)
Place of origin
Varanasi (made)

Sarod, Benaras

Object details

Categories
Musical Instruments
India Museum
Object type
Stringed instrument, sarod
Brief description
sarod (and 12 pegs); Musical, wood, gilt, green lacquer, Varanasi, mid 19th century, India
Physical description
Sarod, Benaras
Dimensions
  • 960th height: mm
  • 290th width: mm
  • 275th depth: mm
Gallery label
(01/08/17)
SAROD
Gilded and lacquered wood, parchment and leather with gut and metal strings
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
c. 1850
02020(IS)
Transferred to the V&A from the India Museum in 1879
The sarod is very similar to the rabab from Afghanistan. The musician plays it with a plectrum, sitting and holding the instrument in front of his body with the wide end resting on the right thigh, rather like a guitar. This gilded sarod belongs to a small group of surviving instruments with similar decoration, presumably made in the same workshop in Varanasi or possibly Patna.
Object history
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879. 1880 Register Entry: [Room No. 7- continued. Case 41.] '02,020. FIDDLE. "Shourd;" gilt ornament on green lacquer, and bow; Benares. 4,439'
Bibliographic reference
Bor, J. and Bruguiere, P. Gloire des Princes: Louange des Dieux, Musee de la Musique, 2003. p. 220, cat. no. 133
Other number
4439 - India Museum Slip Book
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
02020(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O474965/stringed-instrument-sarod/
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