Ming Dynasty The slightly domed body with two waisted section on both sides, lacquered black, the surface finely cracked into shefu (snake's belly) lines, the top with thirteen mother-of-pearl-inlaid studs (hui), seven strings threaded through tasseled hardwood pegs (zhen) running over the top and tied to either of yanzu (foot pegs) on the back, with two rectanglular openings, bag. Overall 102cm (40in) long, shoulder 18cm (7in) wide, tail 13.5cm (5 1/4in) wide. (2).Footnotes明 仲尼式中和韶樂琴 Provenance: The Yanqinzhai Collection, Hong Kong 來源: 香港硯琴齋珍藏 According to the Daming huidian, 'Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty', a five-volume collection of regulations and procedures of the Ming dynasty, lacquered qin of a smaller size with a length of the strings at around 93 cm such as the present lot, was made for the ceremonial performance of court music known as the Zhonghe Shaoyue during the Ming and Qing dynasties. For lacquered qin of similar smaller sizes made for court music, see a black lacquered qin, 126cm long, Ming dynasty, currently in the Kong Family Mansion, Shandong, illustrated in zhongguo yinyue wenwu daxi: Shandong, Shijiazhuang, 2001, p.182, pl.1.10.8a. Compare also a lacquered qin, Xuande mark and of the period, 117.4cm long, illustrated by G. Yong, Yizhang guqin de yanjiu 'The Study of a Ming Dynasty Zeitler', Changchun, 2016; see also Imperial cinnabar lacquered wutong wood qin, Qianlong, 101cm long, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 October 2016, lot 3605. 仲尼式，桐木面板，瓦灰胎，髹黑漆，面板發大蛇腹斷，底板發小蛇腹斷，紫檀岳山、冠角、龍齦， 蚌徽，面板圓拱，隱間93.5公分，肩當三徽六，腰起九徽六，收腰十二徽，龍池、鳳藻皆起納音。 此琴尺寸小於標準尺寸，為宮廷中和韶樂用琴。中和韶樂為明清宮廷雅樂一部，各類重要儀式皆需演奏。明代《大明會典》及清代《御製律呂正義》有明確規定雅樂用琴尺寸，然而實物尺寸不一，從存世物查證有大、中、小三號。大者可參考山東曲阜孔府收藏的明代祭孔雅樂用琴，長達126公分，見《中國音樂文物大系山東卷》，石家莊，2001年，頁182，圖1.10.8a；中者可參考福州劉氏收藏一件宣德款琴，全長117.4公分，琴身鑲嵌星宿圖案，很有可能為祭祀用琴，見宮勇著，《一張明代古琴的研究》，東北師範大學碩士論文，2016年；小者可參考香港蘇富比2016年10月5日售出一件清乾隆御製「湘江碧秋」琴，全長101公分，拍品編號3605。 洪武元年（1368年）规定：「大祀圈丘、方泽、 太庙、社稷等用编钟、编磬各一虡（每虡各悬钟磬16枚），琴十, 瑟......后少有增减（《明史》卷六一）」。《大明會典》規定「中和韶樂」用「琴十張，桐木面，梓木底，長三尺六寸六分，黑漆身，臨嶽、焦尾、以鐵力木為之，肩闊六寸，尾闊四寸， 七絃，俱帶軫，其面有微十三，底有雁足，護軫，用朱紅漆几承之。」清乾隆時成書之《御製律呂正義後編》換算清代以前尺寸，確定中和韶樂用琴「琴絃之長......得古尺三尺六寸，為今尺二尺九寸一分六釐」，清尺長度固定，約為現代之32公分，換算清代「中和韶樂」所用琴之絃長當在93公分左右，清隨明制，推算明代「中和韶樂」用琴絃長亦在此數上下。本琴有效絃長93.5公分，正合明清「中和韶樂」用琴的制度。 此琴散音洪亮，乃有意為之。明清宮廷雅樂樂隊中陳琴十張，明代的演奏方法文獻闕如，目前可以明確知道清代演奏雅樂中的古琴時，只用散音與掇兩種指法。《御製律呂正義後編》記載：「然中和韶樂惟用散聲，其互相應和止用九徽十徽，九徽隔二絃相應，十徽隔一絃相應，其聲澹遠無繁會，蓋古樂之僅存者。」