Page 162 - Bonhams Cornette Saint Cyr, Property from the estate of Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936-2021)

Fig.5, Late Ming dynasty, A tianqi and qiangjin lacquer guqin table deocrated with dragons,
Palace Museum, Beijing

The Rousset guqin table offered by Bonhams is 101.2cm long, 34.3cm The resonance block on the Rousset guqin table measures 60cm long,
wide, and 73.5cm high. This is quite standard for a single guqin table 20.3cm wide and with a thickness of 6.2cm. It is lavishly decorated
and is comparable with the tianqi and qiangjin lacquer guqin table with with two dragons tracing a pearl among waves and conical rocks,
clouds and dragons in the collection of the Palace Museum, which is bordered by lotus scrolls. The dragons have slightly bulging foreheads,
97cm long, 44,6cm wide, and 71cm high. The average length of a qin round eyes, and noses shaped like stylised ruyi cloud scrolls, which
is between 110 and 120cm, which is just about half a chi longer than are typical of the Wanli and Chongzhen periods of the Ming dynasty.
a standard guqin table. This allows the head of the instrument to be Their whiskers and hairs are depicted as bundled up beneath the
overhung when it is placed on the lute table. As a result, the player horns. Their five-claw feet resemble windmills and tails resemble
would have the convenience of adjusting the pegs from the side, as banana leaves. The border with lotus scrolls is also typical of the mid
seen in the Tingqintu by the Emperor Huizong of Song. The Rousett and late Ming style.
guqin table and the Palace Museum one are also not wide enough
to accommodate two qin at the same time and they have space The guqin table itself is covered in thick and dense black lacquer
only enough for one incense burner. Such dimensions are, however, with crack patterns that resemble snake scales. The lacquer finish is
different from those noted in the Dongtian Qingluji, which may have as glossy as leather after more than 400 years. Two rising dragons
been more of an imagined ideal form, rather than a practical approach. in rectangular frames are painted on the tabletops at either end of
It is also suggested in the Dongtian Qingluji that a guqin table should the resonance block. The tabletop is further bordered by a diaper
be two chi and eight cun high, as echoed by many later literatures. ground with lobed cartouches filled with dragons in various positions,
However, a realistic and practical height should be around 75cm, alternating with assorted treasures, such as rhino horns, book scrolls,
which allows the player’s arms to rest on the instrument effortlessly. silver nuggets, and lozenges.
Indeed, this is the case with most of the existing standard guqin
tables (there is, however, an 82cm high guqin table recorded in Wang The side of the tabletop is slightly tapering and painted with stylised
Shixiang’s Mingshi Jiaju zhenshang 明式家具珍賞 [Classic Chinese ruyi cloud scrolls. Below is a waisted structure with the top of the
Furniture], which may have been an exception to use with a highchair legs exposed at the corners. The waist is painted with groups of
with a footrest, but that is not in the scope this essay). chrysanthemums and leave scrolls. The waist is supported by
and raised rim ornated with interlocking leave scrolls. The apron
is broadened to hide the lower edge of the resonance block and
decorated with openwork of various shapes, including those of the
shapes of coins, which are commonly used on sound outlets on lute
tables. Underneath the tabletop are two sets of beams, respectively
paralleling the long and short edges of the table, to support the
resonance block.

160 | BONHAMS