Page 87 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

PROPERTY FROM THE WATER, PINE AND STONE RETREAT
COLLECTION
2963
A CONFUCIUS-STYLE ‘AUTUMN JADE IN A COLD ᒞᕴ ׁ᪺ ྱ㈼ڌ㘞Ǘഄᯕ⏰ἕǘͩൎམᾦ
POND’ LACQUERED QIN
ϝᬝ
LATE MING-EARLY QING DYNASTY
ჺ߿ᇌᙻ㲞ᳰ㐟⯇৿ڟ௯ࢷ೥
The qin is of Confucius style, waisted along two ends of the body
᭢៏⒢ྒྷᏑⅧ⻦
tapering to the zitan jiaowei, ‘burnt end’, the upper surface gently
convex and inlaid with mother-of-pearl studs, hui, supported by ⇂ἃօཪᅴǯ㬷័ޒㅆ⡠卿ᄓ័᱁᭢ᙷ⡠ǯ⇂⫫㬷㯝⽔リᥓ㯪
two hongmu pegs, yanzu, ‘wild geese feet’, the seven tasselled tuning ߴಃ㞖厍Ǹ༠ᷱ☌ℱǹ卿ӴᙹߴリᝧǸ᲎㎜ᙻ㬦卿᳸ᇵᙻḲ卿
pegs, zhen, protected by two finials, huchen. The underside has
فփ⚁ᚺ卿ಗ⯝ಋ㙭ǯᄮᾭӿ⊒ǯ㑘ࢨ᭄㠺ǹǯ
two rectangular sound holes, termed as the longchi, ‘dragon pool’
and the smaller as fengzhao, ‘phoenix pond’. The name of the qin ᇍا卿ໃ㑘ࢨ卿ᇍ↸ຽǯ‪ຽْ՞மἃᄮᾭ㫇᫈ჺ㧿ⶬल⇂།ǯ
is incised above the longchi, Hantan qiuyu, ‘Autumn Jade in a Cold ᇍ↸᫓⣌Ӳࢦ㱛ჺ卿⤔ᎰǶՆ⒖䁗⇂㍆Ƿ卿ݳᘘप᰾ݬ⇂ᝢ
Pond’ in gold pigment, above a poem followed by the date Kangxi ӲࢦӲ㲛卿ዂᇍ↸⤔Ꮀᇌ卿㘆ݪࢦჺᇌᏝ⊐ᇍا㇩ᇑ⒖㮥ॶ㷥
bingshen, ‘in the bingshen year of the Kangxi period’, corresponding གԆᇑݯჲࡂᇌᙹᇑ߅‸卿ᙻᄮᾭݪࢦӬჺ卻 卼⤔ࣇ卿㫇
to 1716, and the signature Yueqian shi ming, ‘inscribed by Yueqian’
᫈Հჺ卻 卼Ꮀᝧ卿ݬݨ࣍ǯǯ
in red. The lacquer of the surface board is suffused with ‘ice’
crackles, and the bottom board with ‘running-water’ crackles.
Overall length: 49 º in. (126.1 cm.)
Width of shoulders: 7 ¬ in. (19.3 cm.)
HK$600,000-800,000 US$77,000-110,000

PROVENANCE
Dr. Tong Kin-Woon, Hong Kong, acquired circa 1980
The title of the qin derives from the concept of the clear sound
made by throwing a jade pebble into a clear pond in Autumn
when the air is clear and crisp. The poem may be translated
as:
Enclose all phenomena in emptiness;
When played, thoughts are concentrated in simplicity.
Enjoy the universe;
Once attained, the dusty world slips far away.
The signature inscribed on the bottom board belongs to Xu
Yueqian, who and his father Xu Qiguang were both pre-
eminent qin scholars of the early-Qing period. One of Xu
Qiguang’s greatest achievements is the compilation of thirty-
three qin scores known as the Wuzhizhai qinpu [Musical
scores from the Studio of Five Awareness], whose publication
was postponed until 1724 when his son Xu Yueqian was finally
able to secure funding.

inscription
㠺ᙔ

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