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Lot Essay
In Confucian philosophy the practice of rituals and music, notably the playing of the qin, are inextricably linked to the pursuit of lofty ideals of a learned scholar. The form of the present qin is of Confucius style as characterised by its austere shape with simple straight sides, and differs from a type known as Fuxi which is rounded on the side closest to the tuning pegs. The style Fuxi was named after the mythological king who was reputed to have made the first musical instrument from the wutong tree. In most cases this type of instruments was given poetic names as in this instance, the name of Lengquan conveys the pure and untainted sound of flowing stream. A Fuxi style example dated to AD968, named Yuting Qingyun, 'Pure Harmony of the Yun Palace', was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2006, lot 1233.
The interior, on either side of the rectangular sound hole known as the 'dragon pool', is inscribed with the characters, Guwu Zhang Ruixiu zhi, 'Made by Zhang Ruixiu of the ancient Wu region'. Zhang Ruixiu along with his four brothers, Zhang Jingxiu, Zhang Shunxiu, Zhang Jixiu, and Zhang Minxiu the most renowned qin makers of the Wu school during the late Ming period. Literary records and dated inscriptions on known examples made by the Zhang brothers would suggest that they were active from the late Jiajing period (r. 1522-1566) until the last year of the Chongzhen reign (1644). In all, a total of eleven examples made by the Zhang brothers have been recorded, three of which were made by Zhang Ruixiu. The style of these eleven qin share many similarities including their overall length, ranging from 121 cm. to 124 cm.
It is of interest to note, however, the size of the present qin when compared to the known group is uniquely shorter in length. This is probably because it followed the 'archaic style' as advocated by the Northern Song dynasty monk Juyue and qin artist Yang Zuyun of the 13th century. This style, however, experienced a decline in its popularity in the Qing dynasty. Compare to two examples that are relatively similar in size, the first is named Haiyue Qinghui, dating to the Song period, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. The second example, the Xuanya Feipu, formerly belonging to Prince of Ning, Zhu Quan (1378-1448), and is now in the collection of Benny Shum, Hong Kong (see Table 1).
The interior, on either side of the rectangular sound hole known as the 'dragon pool', is inscribed with the characters, Guwu Zhang Ruixiu zhi, 'Made by Zhang Ruixiu of the ancient Wu region'. Zhang Ruixiu along with his four brothers, Zhang Jingxiu, Zhang Shunxiu, Zhang Jixiu, and Zhang Minxiu the most renowned qin makers of the Wu school during the late Ming period. Literary records and dated inscriptions on known examples made by the Zhang brothers would suggest that they were active from the late Jiajing period (r. 1522-1566) until the last year of the Chongzhen reign (1644). In all, a total of eleven examples made by the Zhang brothers have been recorded, three of which were made by Zhang Ruixiu. The style of these eleven qin share many similarities including their overall length, ranging from 121 cm. to 124 cm.
It is of interest to note, however, the size of the present qin when compared to the known group is uniquely shorter in length. This is probably because it followed the 'archaic style' as advocated by the Northern Song dynasty monk Juyue and qin artist Yang Zuyun of the 13th century. This style, however, experienced a decline in its popularity in the Qing dynasty. Compare to two examples that are relatively similar in size, the first is named Haiyue Qinghui, dating to the Song period, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing. The second example, the Xuanya Feipu, formerly belonging to Prince of Ning, Zhu Quan (1378-1448), and is now in the collection of Benny Shum, Hong Kong (see Table 1).