Page 146 - March 22 2022 Bonhams

The present qin (zither) atop the following lot 199, a huanghuali qin table

PROPERTY OF A LADY
198
A LARGE LACQUER QIN
Ming Dynasty or Earlier represent the number of days in a year, while the thirteen inlaid
The flat elongated body with two waisted sections on both sides, markers along the fingerboard refer to the lunar cycle. The curved top
lacquered black, the surface slightly ice-cracked and worn due symbolizes heaven, the flat bottom represents earth, and the players
to age, the top with thirteen inlaid-gold studs (hui), seven strings presence completes the Confucian cosmology of earth, human and
threaded through tasseled stag antler pegs (qinzhen) running over heaven. It became a symbol of literary life, seen hanging on scholar’s
the top and tied to either of the two button-like jade pegs (yanzu) walls in paintings from the sixteenth century on. For an example of
on the back, with two rectangular openings, the large one termed a qin player painted on a late Ming blue and white jardinière, see lot
‘dragon pool’ (longchi) and the smaller ‘phoenix pond’ (fengzhao), the 185 in the present sale.
underside bearing an inscription, cloth bag and lacquer carrying box.
48in (121.92cm) long; 7 1/2in (19cm) wide; 3 5/8in (9cm) deep Our qin is in the Zhongni form – also known as the Confucius style –
as this was the shape supposedly used and favored by the Sage.
$10,000 - 15,000
Our instrument is relatively large, resembling qins of the Tang dynasty
明或更早 仲尼式古琴 and Song dynasties. For examples, see the Song dynasty qin, ‘Wan
he song’ in the Place Museum, Beijing, of comparable size to the
The inscription on the silk bag may be read as: present lot (128.6cm long x 20.4cm wide); and also the Southern
竹逸居士遺愛宋琴囊 Song dynasty qin, ‘Ben lei’, 126cm long x 20cm wide, illustrated in
ibid., pp. 74-77, 88-89, nos.10 and 13. The shape of the present
明治卅又一季嵗次戊戌X三月XXX人XX改裝 qin features broad shoulders and a wide waist, resembling the earlier
中華民國四十七年嵗次戊戌夏七月XX寫於東京
form of Tang dynasty qins. However, the lower section is flatter and
and may be translated as: angular, and more closely resembles Song dynasty qins.
The bag of Song dynasty qin which belonged to Zhuyi jushi
Meiji 31 year (1898), on the third month, repaired by XX For other Ming dynasty lacquered qin made for court music, see a
Minguo 47 year (1958), on the seventh month in the summer, black lacquered qin, 126cm long, Ming dynasty, currently in the Kong
recorded by XX in Tokyo Family Mansion, Shandong, illustrated in zhongguo yinyue wenwu
daxi: Shandong, Shijiazhuang, 2001, p.182, pl.1.10.8a. Compare
For a comparable qin (zither) dated to the 16th/17th century, see the also a lacquered qin, Xuande mark and of the period, 117.4cm long,
handbook published by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Arts of illustrated by G. Yong, Yizhang guqin de yanjiu ‘The Study of a Ming
China, 2013, p. 131, which includes a lengthy discussion of the zither Dynasty Zeither’, Changchun, 2016.
as a quintessentially Chinese instrument, associated with refinement
and learning from as early as the seventh century BCE. The bodies The sound of the qin is subtle and even, encapsulating the four
were constructed from seasoned woods and then applied with a desired characteristics of ‘calmness, smoothness, fullness and
lacquer finish. The symbolism of the instrument include parts named uniformity’.
after auspicious animals. The length of the zither in Chinese units

144 | BONHAMS