Chinese Instrument
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Musical instrument Archaic China Northern Song
Chronology : 1-1000 1710-1719
See also : Musical instrument Archaic China Northern Song
Chronology : 1-1000 1710-1719
guqin
Intro
The qin is the traditional Chinese plucked string instrument. The antique variants are now designated as guqin.
The guqin is the first of the four treasures of the scholar, ahead of Chinese go, calligraphy and ink painting. It was known since ancient times and the Chinese tradition likes to assign it with a pre-dynastic origin. Confucius is quoted among the sages who improved the instrument.
The classical seven-string guqin provides a music of great subtlety facilitated by the dots of harmony distributed on the surface. The wooden back is also an invitation to the inscription of poems.
The guqin is the first of the four treasures of the scholar, ahead of Chinese go, calligraphy and ink painting. It was known since ancient times and the Chinese tradition likes to assign it with a pre-dynastic origin. Confucius is quoted among the sages who improved the instrument.
The classical seven-string guqin provides a music of great subtlety facilitated by the dots of harmony distributed on the surface. The wooden back is also an invitation to the inscription of poems.
1
pre-Tang
2010 SOLD for RMB 19M by China Guardian
The Wu Di emperor created the Jin dynasty and reunited China. He was extravagant and sensual, and legends attribute 10,000 concubines to him. The third era of his reign is named Taikang.
A qin dated to the 2nd year of Taikang matching 281 CE was sold for RMB 19M from a lower estimate of RMB 6.5M by China Guardian on May 15, 2010, lot 2217. The date is possibly not original.
This instrument is 120 cm long with width 22 cm at shoulder and 17 cm at tail. Its shape and structure are typical of a pre-Tang qin. The body is painted with black lacquer with mother of pearl emblems. Its nickname is Ape Howling at the Green Vine.
This instrument is reputed to feature the nine virtues : strange, ancient, transparent, moist, quiet, round, even, clear, fragrant. It had been owned and repaired by the leading 20th century guqin player Guan Pinghu. In 1977 Guan recorded with that qin the only piece simulating Chinese music in the US extra-terrestrial spacecraft Voyager 2.
It is played with people attending in a concert in the illustration of an article shared by LaiTimes about the cultural code of guqin music.
A qin dated to the 2nd year of Taikang matching 281 CE was sold for RMB 19M from a lower estimate of RMB 6.5M by China Guardian on May 15, 2010, lot 2217. The date is possibly not original.
This instrument is 120 cm long with width 22 cm at shoulder and 17 cm at tail. Its shape and structure are typical of a pre-Tang qin. The body is painted with black lacquer with mother of pearl emblems. Its nickname is Ape Howling at the Green Vine.
This instrument is reputed to feature the nine virtues : strange, ancient, transparent, moist, quiet, round, even, clear, fragrant. It had been owned and repaired by the leading 20th century guqin player Guan Pinghu. In 1977 Guan recorded with that qin the only piece simulating Chinese music in the US extra-terrestrial spacecraft Voyager 2.
It is played with people attending in a concert in the illustration of an article shared by LaiTimes about the cultural code of guqin music.
2
756 Tang
2011 SOLD for RMB 115M by China Guardian
The Imperial guqin are of great rarity. One of them named Da Sheng Yi Yin (legacy of the Great Sage) was sold for RMB 115M by China Guardian on May 22, 2011, lot 3570.
Lacquered in black and brown, it wears a poem and a seal and its harmonics match the months of the Chinese calendar.
Its date possibly refers to the first year of the Suzong emperor of the Tang matching 756 CE, although four other interpretations are also proposed. It probably refers to a historical event instead of the manufacture date of the instrument.
It is piano shaped 120 cm long, in Fuxi style. Its color is chestnut with black strings below th seven emblems. Such qin with rounded neck and larger curvature are classified as palace instruments of the Tang.
Lacquered in black and brown, it wears a poem and a seal and its harmonics match the months of the Chinese calendar.
Its date possibly refers to the first year of the Suzong emperor of the Tang matching 756 CE, although four other interpretations are also proposed. It probably refers to a historical event instead of the manufacture date of the instrument.
It is piano shaped 120 cm long, in Fuxi style. Its color is chestnut with black strings below th seven emblems. Such qin with rounded neck and larger curvature are classified as palace instruments of the Tang.
3
Tang, Zhongni Type
2017 SOLD for RMB 18.4M by China Guardian
An archaic 7 string guqin from the Tang dynasty was sold for RMB 18.4M by China Guardian on June 19, 2017, lot 4903.
It is of Zhongni type which is a reference to Confucius.
It is of Zhongni type which is a reference to Confucius.
4
Song or earlier Shennong Type
2011 SOLD for RMB 17.3M by Poly
Dated from the Song dynasty or earlier, a guqin was sold for RMB 17.3M by Poly on December 6, 2011, lot 5303. It is named Yi Chi Bo from its currently inscribed poem about reflecting the rain.
Its archaic type with a wide body and round back is identified as Shennong from the mythic Divine Farmer credited for inventing that instrument.
This 7 string instrument is 124 cm long with a width of 22 cm at shoulder and 17 cm at tail. It surfaced in 1963 with a poor surface condition and had to be repaired.
Its archaic type with a wide body and round back is identified as Shennong from the mythic Divine Farmer credited for inventing that instrument.
This 7 string instrument is 124 cm long with a width of 22 cm at shoulder and 17 cm at tail. It surfaced in 1963 with a poor surface condition and had to be repaired.
5
1120 Song Huizong Xuanhe
2010 SOLD for RMB 137M by Poly
The Huizong emperor, whose political incompetence led to the downfall of the Northern Song, was arguably the most important art lover of all time. At the beginning of Xuanhe, the sixth and final era of his reign, he had a catalog prepared of his collection, listing 6,391 paintings by 231 artists.
The esthete emperor was also a music lover. A self-portrait shows him playing the guqin, the zither with seven plucked strings used since the time of Confucius, 1600 years earlier.
An imperial guqin dated to the second year of Xuanhe, 1120 CE, has remained in a superb condition which has preserved its original sound. Some restorations under the Qing did not alter its sound box. According to the tradition for the most prestigious instruments, its name echoes its sound : Song Shi Jian Yi, stones amidst pine trees. It was attributed the First Class No. 22 in the Qianlong records.
This classically shaped luxuriously lacquered instrument measures 126 cm overall, 21 cm shoulder wide and 4.7 cm thick.
After having been owned since 1953 by Fan Boyan, a famous guqin player in Shanghai, it was sold on December 5, 2010 by Poly for RMB 137M from a lower estimate of RMB 20M, lot 5681. It is illustrated in the post sale report by People's Daily.
The esthete emperor was also a music lover. A self-portrait shows him playing the guqin, the zither with seven plucked strings used since the time of Confucius, 1600 years earlier.
An imperial guqin dated to the second year of Xuanhe, 1120 CE, has remained in a superb condition which has preserved its original sound. Some restorations under the Qing did not alter its sound box. According to the tradition for the most prestigious instruments, its name echoes its sound : Song Shi Jian Yi, stones amidst pine trees. It was attributed the First Class No. 22 in the Qianlong records.
This classically shaped luxuriously lacquered instrument measures 126 cm overall, 21 cm shoulder wide and 4.7 cm thick.
After having been owned since 1953 by Fan Boyan, a famous guqin player in Shanghai, it was sold on December 5, 2010 by Poly for RMB 137M from a lower estimate of RMB 20M, lot 5681. It is illustrated in the post sale report by People's Daily.
6
later Ming Yu Shu Tang Guqin
2010 SOLD for RMB 58M by Suzhou Wumen
On November 15, 2010, Suzhou Wumen, an auction house in the suburbs of Shanghai, sold a guqin for RMB 58M. It is illustrated in the post sale report shared by People's Daily.
This 128 cm long undated instrument is of the Jiaoye type, in English banana leaf, so named for its wavy edges. It has lost its bottom. It is painted in black and red and is inscribed Yu Shu Tang.
Built at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Yu Shu Tang was an official residence in the city of Qufu which served to receive emperors and imperial envoys visiting the Confucian temple. Qufu was the hometown of Confucius, who is the most ancient witness to the use of the guqin.
The construction of this instrument is very luxurious, and there is no doubt that it was played in the Yu Shu Tang. Experts believe that it later belonged to the Qianlong emperor.
This 128 cm long undated instrument is of the Jiaoye type, in English banana leaf, so named for its wavy edges. It has lost its bottom. It is painted in black and red and is inscribed Yu Shu Tang.
Built at the end of the Ming Dynasty, Yu Shu Tang was an official residence in the city of Qufu which served to receive emperors and imperial envoys visiting the Confucian temple. Qufu was the hometown of Confucius, who is the most ancient witness to the use of the guqin.
The construction of this instrument is very luxurious, and there is no doubt that it was played in the Yu Shu Tang. Experts believe that it later belonged to the Qianlong emperor.
7
early Ming Yuelu Zhiyin Guqin
2014 SOLD for RMB 33M by Poly
The Yuelu Zhiyin guqin, meaning the sound of moon and dew, had been made in early Ming period. It was admired by the Qianlong emperor early in his reign and was attributed the First Class No. 16 in the Qianlong records.
It is 121 cm long with 110 cm string length and the width is 19 cm at head and shoulder and 13.5 cm at tail, in the Zhongni style which is a reference to Confucius. It is painted with black lacquer and the body is covered with tortoise shell and ox hair.
It is illustrated with a dragon pond and a phoenix pond. The upper part of the dragon pond is engraved with Qianlong's imperial poem filled with gold, while the lower part is engraved with a rectangular Qianlong seal filled with gold.
This instrument was sold for RMB 22M by China Guardian on November 21, 2009, lot 2116 and for RMB 33M by Poly on December 3, 2014, lot 5625. The body is nearly intact and the lacquer surface is well preserved. There is no trace of repair.
A guqin from the Ming dynasty was sold for RMB 17.3M by China Guardian on June 12, 2023, lot 4612. It is 125 cm long with a width of 20 cm at shoulder and 13.5 cm at tail.
It is 121 cm long with 110 cm string length and the width is 19 cm at head and shoulder and 13.5 cm at tail, in the Zhongni style which is a reference to Confucius. It is painted with black lacquer and the body is covered with tortoise shell and ox hair.
It is illustrated with a dragon pond and a phoenix pond. The upper part of the dragon pond is engraved with Qianlong's imperial poem filled with gold, while the lower part is engraved with a rectangular Qianlong seal filled with gold.
This instrument was sold for RMB 22M by China Guardian on November 21, 2009, lot 2116 and for RMB 33M by Poly on December 3, 2014, lot 5625. The body is nearly intact and the lacquer surface is well preserved. There is no trace of repair.
A guqin from the Ming dynasty was sold for RMB 17.3M by China Guardian on June 12, 2023, lot 4612. It is 125 cm long with a width of 20 cm at shoulder and 13.5 cm at tail.
bianzhong
Intro
Since the time of Confucius and the Zhou dynasty, music is a way to commune with the world and to guide the emperor on the path of harmony and serenity. Since those early days, the theory is highly structured, based on a scale of twelve notes per octave.
The variety of sounds necessary for a perfect interpretation of nature, of earth and sky and also of yin and yang leads to the system of the eight tones (ba yin) according to the eight possible materials of the instrument. Schaeffner considers the ba yin as probably the oldest classification of musical instruments worldwide. In the ba yin, the metal is represented mainly by the bronze chime (bianzhong).
A complete bianzhong from 2,500 years ago found in the tomb identified as Marquis Yi's consists of 64 bells assembled in several racks, covering five octaves of twelve tones and whose operation required five musicians. Each almond shaped Yi bell offers two tones depending on whether it is hit from front or from side. The pieces vary in the thickness of the wall.
The variety of sounds necessary for a perfect interpretation of nature, of earth and sky and also of yin and yang leads to the system of the eight tones (ba yin) according to the eight possible materials of the instrument. Schaeffner considers the ba yin as probably the oldest classification of musical instruments worldwide. In the ba yin, the metal is represented mainly by the bronze chime (bianzhong).
A complete bianzhong from 2,500 years ago found in the tomb identified as Marquis Yi's consists of 64 bells assembled in several racks, covering five octaves of twelve tones and whose operation required five musicians. Each almond shaped Yi bell offers two tones depending on whether it is hit from front or from side. The pieces vary in the thickness of the wall.
1
1715 pair of Kangxi Dragon ritual bells
2009 SOLD for HK$ 45.5M by Christie's
The Chinese music, based on a twelve-tone scale, was codified at the time of Confucius. The sound depends on the material of the instrument. The bronze bells or bianzhong constitute chimes. They are suspended from porticoes and struck with mallets. Within a carillon all bells have the same height and it is the thickness of the metal that generates the variety of tones.
Music is the supreme art that offers a perfect interpretation of all elements of nature including yin and yang. The imperial bianzhong are dated, as are the guqin.
In the Qing era, an imperial carillon is composed of sixteen bells including four repeated tones in high and low octaves. The gilt bronze bells are decorated with dragons in high relief.
On May 27, 2009, Christie's sold for HK $ 45.5M from a lower estimate of HK $ 10M a pair of 30 cm high bells giving the 4th and 11th notes, dated Kangxi wushisi nian shi corresponding to 1715 CE, lot 1818.
On December 16, 2019, Tessier et Sarrou sold for € 670K a 21 cm high bell dated Kangxi bing shen nian zhi corresponding to 1716 CE. It is set for the huang zhong which is the basic tone of the scale. The dragons are imperial, with five claws per paw.
Music is the supreme art that offers a perfect interpretation of all elements of nature including yin and yang. The imperial bianzhong are dated, as are the guqin.
In the Qing era, an imperial carillon is composed of sixteen bells including four repeated tones in high and low octaves. The gilt bronze bells are decorated with dragons in high relief.
On May 27, 2009, Christie's sold for HK $ 45.5M from a lower estimate of HK $ 10M a pair of 30 cm high bells giving the 4th and 11th notes, dated Kangxi wushisi nian shi corresponding to 1715 CE, lot 1818.
On December 16, 2019, Tessier et Sarrou sold for € 670K a 21 cm high bell dated Kangxi bing shen nian zhi corresponding to 1716 CE. It is set for the huang zhong which is the basic tone of the scale. The dragons are imperial, with five claws per paw.
2
1743 Qianlong
2008 SOLD for HK $ 33M by Christie's
A 27.3 cm high Qing bell that had belonged to William Randolph Hearst provides the 10th pitch from a bianzhong of sixteen ovoid pieces. It operates in the lower octave and is very heavy, almost 15 kg. It is dated on the 8th year of Qianlong, 1743 CE and bears the imperial Qianlong mark.
It was sold for $ 1.2M by Sotheby's on September 15, 2015, lot 160. Please watch the video shared by Christie's before it passed on November 5, 2019, lot 85.
Coming from another set of the same year, a 21 cm high bianzhong providing the 6th note had been sold for HK $ 33M by Christie's on May 27, 2008. The 10th bell of that chime had been sold for HK $ 17.4M by Christie's on June 3, 2015.
It was sold for $ 1.2M by Sotheby's on September 15, 2015, lot 160. Please watch the video shared by Christie's before it passed on November 5, 2019, lot 85.
Coming from another set of the same year, a 21 cm high bianzhong providing the 6th note had been sold for HK $ 33M by Christie's on May 27, 2008. The 10th bell of that chime had been sold for HK $ 17.4M by Christie's on June 3, 2015.
1745 Qianlong Qin
2016 SOLD for HK$ 56M by Sotheby's
During the second year of the Yongzheng emperor, the young prince Hongli is studying in a library of the imperial city. This Wutong Library is named in reference to a pair of sycamore trees placed from immemorial time at the entrance of the pavilion. One of them has already withered away and was replaced, symbolizing the regeneration.
Hongli has become the Qianlong emperor. The second wutong tree passes in its turn during the ninth year of the new reign. Qianlong orders by imperial decree that the wood of the old tree is used to make four qin.
The qin was honored under the Tang and the Song as the first in the list of the four treasures of the scholar. This luxurious zither with seven plucked strings offered the ultimate Chinese music. During the Qing dynasty, the qin is a scarce instrument that revives the past.
The realization of the four Qianlong qin is documented in considerable detail in the imperial books, with the identification of officers, eunuchs and workmen. Each instrument is marked with another imperial poem. They are delivered to the Emperor on the 20th day of the 10th month of the 11th year of the reign, matching 1745 CE.
One of the four qin survives. Identified as the Xiangjiang Qiubi meaning Clear Autumn skies above the Xiang River, it is of Lianzhu (pearl string) style with total length 101 cm, shoulder width 16.5 cm and tail width 11.5 cm. It is lavishly made with cinnabar lacquered outer walls. It is incised with dragons, phoenix, goose feet and cranes, and inscribed. Crackles had been originally added to resemble an archaic instrument.
Conceived for prestige, it was sparingly played. The strings have been professionally replaced. It was sold for HK $ 56M from a lower estimate of HK $ 25M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2016, lot 3605, and for RMB 30.5M by Poly on June 14, 2024, lot 6305. It is detailed and illustrated in the 2024 post sale release shared by The Value.
Hongli has become the Qianlong emperor. The second wutong tree passes in its turn during the ninth year of the new reign. Qianlong orders by imperial decree that the wood of the old tree is used to make four qin.
The qin was honored under the Tang and the Song as the first in the list of the four treasures of the scholar. This luxurious zither with seven plucked strings offered the ultimate Chinese music. During the Qing dynasty, the qin is a scarce instrument that revives the past.
The realization of the four Qianlong qin is documented in considerable detail in the imperial books, with the identification of officers, eunuchs and workmen. Each instrument is marked with another imperial poem. They are delivered to the Emperor on the 20th day of the 10th month of the 11th year of the reign, matching 1745 CE.
One of the four qin survives. Identified as the Xiangjiang Qiubi meaning Clear Autumn skies above the Xiang River, it is of Lianzhu (pearl string) style with total length 101 cm, shoulder width 16.5 cm and tail width 11.5 cm. It is lavishly made with cinnabar lacquered outer walls. It is incised with dragons, phoenix, goose feet and cranes, and inscribed. Crackles had been originally added to resemble an archaic instrument.
Conceived for prestige, it was sparingly played. The strings have been professionally replaced. It was sold for HK $ 56M from a lower estimate of HK $ 25M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2016, lot 3605, and for RMB 30.5M by Poly on June 14, 2024, lot 6305. It is detailed and illustrated in the 2024 post sale release shared by The Value.
An Imperial Cinnabar Lacquer Wutong Qin Ql from 1745 sells for HK$55.5/US$7.2m – far over est. and record for a Qing musical instrument pic.twitter.com/cXLtyQUWgR
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) October 5, 2016
