Under the Hammer

Lot 13

'Taigu Yuanyin': An important and rare Confucius-style huanghuali and zitan inlaid hundred-patch guqin

Within the Chinese traditional musical instrument ensemble, the qin holds principal place with its history stretching from at least as early as the Zhou dynasty (and possibly earlier) to this date. In 2003, the qin was declared by UNESCO to be a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

This Zhong Ni style (also known as Confucius-style) guqin, decorated with various woods cut hexagonally, was crafted in an extremely rare technique known as bai na (which translates as hundred patches), referring to the patchwork vestment worn by Buddhist monks. At present, there are only two known bai na constructed qins in China's public museums that are similar in age and craftsmanship to the present lot. They are in Beijing Palace Museum and Sichuan Provincial Museum respectively.

Lot 1

A rare and large archaic bronze ritual bell, yongzhong

According to Zhou Li, the Rites of Zhou from the Eastern Zhou, only kings, marquises and other selected aristocratic groups were entitled to possess such bronze bells, and the number of sets allowed depend on one’s royal title.

Only a few sets of early Western Zhou yongzhong bells were found in archaeological settings. This bell on offer appears to be one of the earliest known examples of two-tone bells, with motifs decorated to indicate the striking point for a second tone.

Lot 5

A rare Lushan phosphatic-splashed brown-glazed stoneware drum

This drum is an extremely rare surviving example of the phosphatic glaze-splashed ware produced in Lushan county, Henan province, during the Tang dynasty.

Its hourglass-shaped form was inspired from a waisted wooden musical instrument adopted from the Central Asian region of Kucha to the members of Tang aristocracy. Instead of being carried, a ceramic drum such as this would have been placed on a wood stand, with drumheads made of animal skins.

Lot 33

A very rare inscribed kunqu opera bamboo flute, dizi

Dizi is a Chinese transverse flute and one of the longest surviving major Chinese musical instruments seen across genres of Chinese folk music and opera. Although bamboo later became the common material for the dizi, very few examples could have survived due to the decadent nature of the material.

Known for its longer, more mellow lyrical tone, a bamboo dizi such as this one on offer was used as the lead melodic instrument for kunqu – a regional opera form in Southern China.

Lot 29

Pu Ru
Sage playing qin

This painting from the first half of the 20th century depicts a sage playing a qin. In an unusual fashion, the figure isn’t placed in the usual space in the lower section of a Chinese painting, but rather occupies the upper section. This immediately draws the viewer's eyes up to the musician, creating a sense of height and quiet solitude.

The painting also carries a hand-illustrated poem from Pu Ru's Xishan ji (Poems of Xishan), written after a visit to Mount Tai in Shandong in Yimou year (1915). The poem may be translated as:

'Rocky ledges piercing the clouds,
Twisting and turning in the dark realm of apricot blossoms,
Birds fly up fearing they will not land again,
Looking down they see only the azure sky.'

Lot 14

A very rare inscribed kunqu opera bamboo flute, dizi

This lute table, or qin table is made from carefully selected nanmu wood, with the single-top panel of antique well-figured tongmu wood enclosed within a wide, straight-edged frame.

The underside of the table is set with another single panel in tenon-and-mortise joints to form the 'resonator', both panels are reinforced by transverse braces, each narrow side of the 'resonator' with a slim 'fish-eye' aperture to amplify the sound waves, all standing on slender corner legs of slightly-tapering square section.

Refined and restrained in form, the table represents a contemporary interpretation of the highest standards in classical Chinese furniture. The lower part of the table displays a simple design in the apron and waist, presenting a sense of simplicity, fluidity and superb balance, made possible by sophisticated and concealed joinery. The essence of literati taste is encapsulated by its design, making it a perfect table on which to play the guqin.

Lot 51

A very rare inscribed kunqu opera bamboo flute, dizi

Designed by Vincent Fang (b.1969), a Taiwanese multi Golden Melody Award winner lyricist, this contemporary installation is inspired by jianzi pu, a unique form of tablature for guqin.

Jianzi, literally 'abbreviated characters', consisting of strokes from different characters, was developed from wenzi pu or full-character tablature detailing the tuning, finger positions and comprising a step-by-step method and description of how to play a piece. Jianzi pu dramatically reduced the length of a guqin piece, whilst increasing the accuracy and efficiency of the guqin music notation.

The artist invited a young guqin musician, Ms Zhang Lu, who graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, China, in 2011, to convert the music of Juhua Tai which was written by Jay Chou into jianzi pu. He carved the tablature on a glassy transparent plaque and placed it on a yellow industrial-style stand, creating another artful combination of Chinese classic and modern media, just as he has done in his writing.

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