�y Five-Stringed Biwa Lute of Shitan-Wood Decorated in Mother-of-Pearl Inlay �z Length,108.1cm

The five-stringed biwa lute is an ancient instrument of Indian origin. This one, listed along with the four-stringed biwa lute of Persian origin in the Dedicatory Record, is the only existing one of its kind in the world. The plectrum guard, covering the area where the plectrum strikes, is a band of tortoise-shell, inlaid with mother-of-pearl designs of a figure playing the four-stringed lute while riding on the back of a camel. The tub-shaped back of this lute is made of a single block of red sandalwood and is decorated with the mother-of-pearl inlaid designs of flowers, birds and clouds.