拍品专文
The poem is published in Qing Gaozong Yuzhi Shiwen Quanji, Imperial Poems of the Qianlong Emperor, Taibei 1965, juan no. 19, and can be translated:
Across the low table of wutong wood lies the qin named Xianlai;
I listen to the music of the qin with a clear mind.
The archaic mood of the music brings me back to the ancient days;
the tone is distinct from that of the pipa and the zheng.
I feel like I am seeing old pine trees rising elegantly from the ground;
and a rainbow spanning a hundred feet across the sky.
I feel ashamed I cannot solve my people's problems,
to bring warmth and peace to their lives.
The couplet can be translated:
In the richly decorated jade palace is a beautiful ao (stringed instrument) played by a fairy;
The melody flows down from heaven and brings warmth to the world.
The copious inscriptions on this qin reveal its vivid history. According to the seals, the qin was made in the Chenghua Yisi year, as shown by the carved inscription on the inside of the longchi and by the Imperial 'Seal of Immense Fortune'. From the inscriptions it is clear that the qin was passed into the possession of the last Ming emperor Chongzhen whose distinctive signature embellishes the space between the longchi and the fengzhao. The inscription just below the signature reads, 'wuyin year of the Chongzhen reign' thus corresponding to 1638. The next known owner appears to have been an official named Huachun whose seal mark is located at the tail of the qin. According to the Imperial seal just above the official's name, the instrument was bestowed on him as a gift by the Emperor (probably Chongzhen). Finally, an eloquently written poem inscribed along the neck of the qin implied the Qing Emperor Qianlong was its last Imperial owner.
The poem (as translated above), composed by the Emperor himself, describes the inspiring effect of music from this present qin, as he listened to it being played in the garden on a Spring morning. Within the twelve massive volumes of poetry written by Qianlong, this poem is one of only three that mentions a qin.
The present qin is important not only as a record of Imperial ownership but it is a clear indication of prevailing Confucian ideology in regarding music as one of the accomplishments of learned men. Qin music was highly respected by native Ming rulers and even adopted by the Qing foreign Mongol invaders, anxious to maintain their legitimate rule.
The style of construction on this lot is particularly interesting as the makers have combined two different styles of qin design: the Confucian style on the neck and ridge of the instrument, and Lie Zi style on the rest of the body. These styles were so-called since both Confucius and Lie Zi were accomplished masters of the qin. In characteristic Confucian style, the qin narrows along the neck, then widens again on the shoulders. The narrow scoops on the body on either side of the pegs and the rounded end of the qin are typical of the Lie Zi style. As the present lot was made for Imperial use, the craftsmen were at liberty to depart from the conventions of design. However, like all other early Ming qins, the present example is characteristically shorter than those from other dynasties.
Compare with a Ming example of a 'named' and inscribed qin included in the O.C.S. exhibition 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, 1993, Catalogue, pl. 234, and Song dynasty ones in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji, vol. 8, pls. 76 and 77. Inscribed qins were also sold in these Rooms, 28 April 1996, lot 30, and 4 November 1996, lot 870.
(US$150,000-200,000)
Across the low table of wutong wood lies the qin named Xianlai;
I listen to the music of the qin with a clear mind.
The archaic mood of the music brings me back to the ancient days;
the tone is distinct from that of the pipa and the zheng.
I feel like I am seeing old pine trees rising elegantly from the ground;
and a rainbow spanning a hundred feet across the sky.
I feel ashamed I cannot solve my people's problems,
to bring warmth and peace to their lives.
The couplet can be translated:
In the richly decorated jade palace is a beautiful ao (stringed instrument) played by a fairy;
The melody flows down from heaven and brings warmth to the world.
The copious inscriptions on this qin reveal its vivid history. According to the seals, the qin was made in the Chenghua Yisi year, as shown by the carved inscription on the inside of the longchi and by the Imperial 'Seal of Immense Fortune'. From the inscriptions it is clear that the qin was passed into the possession of the last Ming emperor Chongzhen whose distinctive signature embellishes the space between the longchi and the fengzhao. The inscription just below the signature reads, 'wuyin year of the Chongzhen reign' thus corresponding to 1638. The next known owner appears to have been an official named Huachun whose seal mark is located at the tail of the qin. According to the Imperial seal just above the official's name, the instrument was bestowed on him as a gift by the Emperor (probably Chongzhen). Finally, an eloquently written poem inscribed along the neck of the qin implied the Qing Emperor Qianlong was its last Imperial owner.
The poem (as translated above), composed by the Emperor himself, describes the inspiring effect of music from this present qin, as he listened to it being played in the garden on a Spring morning. Within the twelve massive volumes of poetry written by Qianlong, this poem is one of only three that mentions a qin.
The present qin is important not only as a record of Imperial ownership but it is a clear indication of prevailing Confucian ideology in regarding music as one of the accomplishments of learned men. Qin music was highly respected by native Ming rulers and even adopted by the Qing foreign Mongol invaders, anxious to maintain their legitimate rule.
The style of construction on this lot is particularly interesting as the makers have combined two different styles of qin design: the Confucian style on the neck and ridge of the instrument, and Lie Zi style on the rest of the body. These styles were so-called since both Confucius and Lie Zi were accomplished masters of the qin. In characteristic Confucian style, the qin narrows along the neck, then widens again on the shoulders. The narrow scoops on the body on either side of the pegs and the rounded end of the qin are typical of the Lie Zi style. As the present lot was made for Imperial use, the craftsmen were at liberty to depart from the conventions of design. However, like all other early Ming qins, the present example is characteristically shorter than those from other dynasties.
Compare with a Ming example of a 'named' and inscribed qin included in the O.C.S. exhibition 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, 1993, Catalogue, pl. 234, and Song dynasty ones in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji, vol. 8, pls. 76 and 77. Inscribed qins were also sold in these Rooms, 28 April 1996, lot 30, and 4 November 1996, lot 870.
(US$150,000-200,000)