Public domain
Vase with a Woman Playing the Pipe
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The woman depicted on this vase is playing a pipa. A legend links this instrument to Princess Liu Xijun (123?–101 BCE), whom the emperor sent off to marry the king of the Wusun. The emperor ordered a stringed instrument to be made that could be played on horseback during her long journey. Liu also wrote the earliest poem attributable to a named woman in which she describes her homesickness.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineVaas met een vrouw die de pipa bespeelt. c. 1700 - c. 1724. anonymous. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
