White jade figurine “Pipa”, Qing dynasty

White jade carved in the shape of a musical instrument “Pipa” or “琵琶”. It has an elongated neck terminated by a ruyi-shaped pegbox. The body is rounded and slightly narrower in the center; it is adorned with scrolls of various sizes arranged around the perimeter and a central scene executed in bas-relief. 

The small scene shows a beautiful landscape surrounded by steep mountains, where two characters, an old man and a child, are arranged in the lower area giving a music lesson. The landscape ascends between the mountains, showing lush trees and small flowers emerging from the rocks, ending in a sky filled with curling clouds descending the back of the piece.  

The pipa or “琵琶” whose name comes from the actual strumming of the string, is a plucked stringed instrument, similar to the Western lute. There are records of its existence dating back to the 2nd c. B.C. Its original size (three feet five inches) alludes to the three kingdoms: Heaven, Earth and man, and the five natural elements; and its four strings represent the four seasons. 

Size: 28.5 x 1.2 x 10 cm

Weight: 527.4 g