明末

The foliate edges of this type of Qin are reputed to have been invented by the early Ming craftsman, Zhu Haihe, and the style is very different to the more angular Confucius form. The latter narrows along the neck before widening again on the shoulders, whereas the present lot has been carved with undulating sides resembling a leaf. For a variant of the 'Banana-leaf' Qin, compare the example included in the exhibition, 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, 1993, and illustrated in the Catalogue, p. 238, no. 116.

Qin music was highly regarded by scholars and officials, and ability to play the Qin was the ultimite accomplishment of learned men. It appears that the interior of the present qi is inscribed in vermilion but the characters are not decipherable.