Antique Sarasvati Veena from Thanjavur, South India

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Antique Sarasvati Veena from Thanjavur, South India:
$3900.00

The Sarasvati Veena listed for sale was made in Thanjavur in South India in the 1920s, from the wood of a jackfruit tree. It’s a full size (52”), concert quality lute, modified with guitar tuners to maintain its tune in temperature-controlled North American homes. (The original rosewood pegs (பிரடை)tend to contract in low humidity in the wintertime, making it difficult to maintain the tuning while playing.)

What makes this piece valuable and unique is that it is inlaid with highly carved deer antler and even rarer – the wooden resonator (kudamகுடம்) is also decorated with carved antler. The use of deer antlers was discontinued about 50-60 years ago, and modern veenas are inlaid with sometimes garish celluloid. It is difficult to find one where the back of the kudam is decorated with inlay work, such as this specimen. The carved dragon’s head hides a secret compartment to hold an oil box and finger plectra. The 24 frets are embedded on a gold-paper covered fret board with a mixture of beeswax and lampblack – thus, the instrument needs to be protected from extreme heat, since the wax will melt. The fret board was recently replaced and the waxwork was redone by Lakshmanan Goswami, one of Chennai\'s finest veena repairers. The main string is tuned to E, the second sting is tuned to B, with the following two strings tuned to the same notes at the lower octave. The three talam strings on the side, are used to keep rhythm, and are also tuned to E, B, and E, to resonate with the main strings.

The smaller resonator is made of papier-mâché, with pictures of Sarasvati, the Hindu goddess of learning and Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. It is designed to be placed on the lap while playing, as illustrated in the stock picture below.

Although highly decorative, and a work of art in its own right, this piece is ideal both for seasoned veena player or an advanced beginner since it marries high quality tonality with beautiful craftsmanship.

Since this piece is so large, shipping will be an issue, as the veena does not have a specially designed case. The veena does come with a velveteen dust cover.