Page 303 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art December 2, 2015 HK
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THE PROPERTY OF A JAPANESE COLLECTOR                                       Ĺ⦥ᮜ篓븽1928ᮖ‫׹ݓ‬嬧
                                                                           ➊⥷䜑⤼蓎븽2000ᮖᶬ‫׹‬嬧
3285
                                                                           菛㖊ɇយ᳊㶡븽菛㖊岿吪䱢监憧٩怋䱢븍⬆⥳砂⧡븽常灺᷸븽ᩴ
A MING CONFUCIUS-STYLE LACQUERED QIN                                       ៮브∥瞯브ِ戌브蔄⇮브㶡檕브盫梦䦓䇄䲦⹾⥳恿븍㶡ᯒ蕈ㆋČ
                                                                           ✴븽০ѱܺ䩊⤥븖㓦㈟븗㶡ਅ븽᫁ѱ弱⤥禆ܺ빋븖≾ᶖ᪥䏹븽窌
INCISED WANLI GUIWEI CYCLICAL DATE, CORRESPONDING TO                       㪭㏫㉂븽ᗸ䝕ⅸὯ븽䘷㚧ḛ᜔븍ġⅱᆙ烹븍븗លܺ븖皇㽒븗त䣲
1583 AND OF THE PERIOD                                                     䱢븍㶡吪‫׽‬蕈ㆋ᫁ѱܺ盛⤥烹빋븖৒⧉⦢奒⮇恿븗빌০ѱܺ烹빋
                                                                           븖填⣒䆳⥵븹1583ᮖ븺ɇ䜑ਁ➋븗븍㶡‫׿‬甂121.3؈ۭ븽⤽⚃ᳶ甂
The qin is of Confucius style, gracefully waisted along two ends of        113؈ۭ븽勶ᜟ19.7؈ۭ븽លᜟ13.4؈ۭ븍㶡綖Ξ甂븽恿ː䤑盳븽
the body, the upper surface gently convex and inlaid with mother-          ‫⟆⤽ؘ‬ȱĹ⠰⥤稃⫧븍㶡横⥵䵼甠௦븽ⳋ㡓眳ᶽ븍㶡嗨磮磿石
of-pearl studs, hui. The underside has two rectangular sound               汽븽监⤽㉂㤇ۚႫşΊ븍
holes, termed as the ‘Dragon Pool’ and the smaller as the ‘Phoenix
Pond’. The name of the qin is incised above the ‘Dragon Pool’,             ᫕菔˭ᅦᶽ⤬⊎枃Āᴕɇយ᳊㶡븽蕈ㆋ‫ث‬਄ܺ⾿⤽븖৒⧉⦢奒⮇
Xi Quan, ‘Spring Creek’, followed by an inscription in running             ✧븗烹븽憧2014ᮖ6⤼11➊⊎૿40尢븍
script and a seal, Longsheng. Underneath the ‘Dragon Pool’
aperture to the right is carved, Wanli guiwei zhongqiu jidan, ‘on an       皇㽒ⅾ⋟៎皇븹1543-1605븺븽‫ؗ‬ᘁ甂ऻ븽Āᘁ乀䊪븽尢栰ㅐ븽
auspicious day of the eighth month of guiwei cylical year of Wanli         ㋥ㆊ溈享Ǿ븽⠰⟆⛢ᘳᚯ브↨⤝ᚯ븍⿾㶡禆ܺ⤥稃唚Č㌑आ
period (1583)’, and to the left, Guhang Li Cangwu zhi, ‘Made by            㫹笁পৡࢋ⚀᚝आ㫹癏嬧៎皇弱圚⇐砂⤽礲ᆪ䉱ʨş尓븍Ǜ⤽ৠ
Li Cangwu of Hangzhou’. The instrument strings are threaded                卯⋟㇆卋噇븹⟆븺븽‫ؗ‬ᘁ皇㽒븽尢埄垨븽填⣒ไࣦ؋ᮖ븹1618븺
through seven taselled hardwood tuning pegs, zhen. Each string             唝Ǿ븽ᤇ䚙‫׆‬ᮖ(1628)泉ᅦ븽ᶬᙳ哵ট♹븽؆ࣦċ〓ࣼ븍
is arranged over the upper surface and tied to either of the two
hardwood pegs, yanzu, ‘Wild Geese Feet’. The lacquer surfaces are          ⿾㶡➎ᮖ㋉‫⥷➊׹‬븽⟴઴ċᮖ(1928)‫ݓ‬Ĺ⦥ᮜ篓♪嬧븽ᶬ氀ᮖ㽭
suffused with fine snake-belly cracks.                                      㵊嬧凄✺Ǥ湍枩ᶽ븍㵊ɓ嬧ᚯ䜑⤼蓎븽僖弼৤ᚯ븽㶡ᅦ븍⤬㾦ᘳ
47 æ in. (121.3 cm.) long, brocade carrying case                           ࢋǤĹᇅ僖弼ᘳ癏븍◂ɓƱ㲡䗰丯櫽븍৒㶡⤬ᬢ᷈⧎Ǥ໚㽬泉Ā
                                                                           পࢋǤ㲭氱븍2014ᮖ⤬́㽡⿾㶡✺⧞⥷᫨僖弼笁블䜑៮䆻᪥ូ븕
HK$1,500,000-2,500,000  US$200,000-320,000                                 ؈甠㖠ᇯ븍

PROVENANCE

Nakamura Kouma, acquired prior to 1928
Shugetsu-sai, Japan, acquired after 2000

Compare to a Confucius-style lacquered qin also bearing the signature
of Li Cangwu sold at Christie’s Paris, 11 June 2014, lot 40.

The inscription on the back of the qin is followed by a seal, Longsheng,
which may be the seal of Tu Long (1543-1605), a late-Ming writer and
dramatist. Comparison of the calligraphy style of the inscription on this
qin and fan leaves by Tu Long reveals close similarity. Longsheng is
also the pseudonym of scholar-official Shen Yinfang (active circa late
Ming), who passed the jinshi level of the Civil Services Examination
in 1628, thought it seems more likely that the signature belongs to Tu
Long given his expertise in music and the similar calligraphy style.

The current qin was in the collection of Nakamura Kouma (dates
unknown) prior to 1928 and was recently acquired by the current
owner Shugetsu-sai in Kyoto. Shugetsu-sai studied after renowned
qin masters Sakata Shinichi in Tokyo and Wang Di in Beijing, and held
a public performance using the current qin at the exhibition Shuzan
Hakugen-ten at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art in 2014.

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