Qing Dynasty The pear-shaped instrument formed from a black-lacquered fir-wood back plate and an unlacquered wutong wood top plate pierced with two F-holes, the elegantly-angled head followed by a peg box with four jichimu tuning pegs stretching three strings and a silk string over a narrow neck and fourteen tortoiseshell frets, ending with a hongmu tailpiece, the backplate inscribed with two large gilt characters reading huai yun above a red-lacquer seal reading shengwen yutian. 93.5cm (36 3/4in) long.