Silk and Bamboo: Music and Art of China

This exhibition celebrates the musical heritage of China—one of the oldest continuously documented traditions with roots reaching back more than eight thousand years. Featuring some sixty objects and illustrations—drawn largely from the Museum's collections of Asian art and musical instruments—Silk and Bamboo: Music and Art of China reveals the dynamic interplay of cultures, the continuity of musical practice, and the diversity of China's musical traditions from the fifth century B.C. to the present.

On view is a wide variety of Chinese musical instruments and art, including a rare ivory-covered pipa (lute) and a lacquered qin (zither) of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), extraordinary bells of the fifth century B.C., and a set of pottery figures in the shapes of dancers and musicians from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) and Tang dynasty (618–907).

The exhibition is made possible in part by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation.