The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Taus

c. 1800

India, Punjab

Polychromed wood, parchment, bone or ivory, gut, and metal strings; frets: bronze
Overall: 108 x 17.2 cm (42 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.)
The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr. 1918.361
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The taus was designed by a Sikh Guru to combine the sounds of string instruments and the plaintive cry of the peacock.
  • ?–1918
    Ralph King [1855–1926], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1918–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 5, no. 8/9 (1918): 82-85. Mentioned: p. 82 www.jstor.org
    D. S. M. "Exhibition of Musical Instruments." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 8, no. 9 (1921): 134-43. Mentioned: pp. 134-137 www.jstor.org
  • Exhibition of the Month: Music in Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 2, 1945-February 4, 1946).
  • {{cite web|title=Taus|url=false|author=|year=c. 1800|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1918.361