Page 40 - 2020 December 1 Bonhams Hong Kong, Eternal Music in Chinese art

‘To keep our mind free from defilement under all circumstances is The present qin table is made from carefully selected nanmu wood,
called ‘wu nian’.’ with the single-top panel of antique well-figured tongmu wood
By Dajian Huineng (638–713 AD). enclosed within a wide, straight-edged frame. The underside of the
table is set with another single panel in tenon-and-mortise joints
The Chinese word ‘wu’, which literally means ‘nothingness’, has to form the ‘resonator’, both panels are reinforced by transverse
different connotations. On one level, it can be interpreted as braces, each narrow side of the ‘resonator’ with a slim ‘fish-eye’
‘emptiness’, so one has unlimited tolerance to accept all things. At aperture to amplify the sound waves, all standing on slender corner
another level, it represents a sense of ‘infinity’, when one reaches legs of slightly-tapering square section.
such a boundless state of tolerance.
The exterior of the ‘resonator’ is further decorated by applying
The word ‘nian’ means ‘to think of’. However, when putting the two multiple layers of raw lacquer, polished and wrapped with a hemp
words together as ‘wu nian’, the connotation does not form the cloth enhanced with further coatings of lacquer, which creates a
meaning ‘doing and thinking nothing’. On the contrary, it means mixture of purple and blue textures elegantly contrasting with the
‘to comprehend’, which encourages one to behave with a free and chestnut ground.
purified mind; to have an authentic understanding of things, a clarity
which one would see in a mirror. Refined and restrained in form, the present table represents a
contemporary interpretation of the highest standards in classical
Dajian Huineng (638–713 AD), also known as the Sixth Patriarch Chinese furniture. The lower part of the table displays a simple
of Chan Buddhism and the central figure in the early history of design in the apron and waist, presenting a sense of simplicity,
Chan, once stated: ‘To keep our mind free from defilement under all fluidity and superb balance, made possible by sophisticated and
circumstances is called ‘wu nian’.’ concealed joinery. The essence of literati taste is encapsulated by
its design, making it a perfect table on which to play the guqin.
The phrase ‘wu nian’ is further considered to describe a state of
mind that is free from impurities and restraints; and it can therefore
represent a statement for freedom of conscience. As it is written
in the Diamond Sutra: ‘one should not give rise to the purest
aspiration whilst still abiding in form, in sound, odour, taste, touch
or concepts. One should give rise to the purest aspiration when not
abiding in anything.’

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