A WOOD 'QIN' WRIST REST, QING DYNASTY China, 1644-1912. Carved as a qin supported on four short feet, inlaid with silver wire for the strings, bone for the hui (note markers), and ebony wood for the bridge, caps, and feet. The reverse inscribed with a short poem, title, and seal, the inscriptions neatly incised and gilt or lacquered.

Inscriptions: To the reverse, titled 'Qing Lai' (clear stillness) and with a poem about the sound of the qin. One seal.

Provenance: French trade.
Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, few minuscule nicks, light surface scratches, and minor loss to the silver wire inlays. Magnificent naturally grown patina, of deep golden-brown color and with an unctuous feel overall.

Weight: 185.4 g
Dimensions: Length 27.8 cm

The guqin is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times and has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement, as highlighted by the quote “a gentleman does not part with his qin without good reason,” as well as being associated with the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. It is sometimes referred to by the Chinese as 'the father of Chinese music' or 'the instrument of the sages'. Traditionally, the instrument was simply referred to as the 'qin' but by the twentieth century, the term had come to be applied to many other musical instruments as well. The prefix 'gu' (meaning 'ancient') was later added for clarification. Thus, the instrument is called 'guqin' today.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related wrist rest in the form of a qin, illustrated by Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss, Arts from the Scholar's Studio, Fung Ping Shan Museum, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1986, p. 121, cat. no. 86 and a paper weight in form of a qin, illustrated ibid. p. 235, cat. no. 224.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's London, 9 November 2011, lot 49
Price: GBP 4,000 or approx. EUR 6,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An ebony 'qin' wristrest, Qing dynasty


清代木雕琴式臂擱
中國，1644-1912年。木雕成古雅致的古琴形狀，鑲銀如琴弦；琴面上側嵌飾大小不等十三片圓形骨片，即十三徽；另有岳山、内軫與雁足。背面居中刻行書詩句一行以及鈐印。琴形臂擱制式標準，做工精緻。

款識：“清籟”以及兩邊詩句各一行。

來源：法國古玩交易市場。
品相：品相極好，有輕微磨損、極少的細小刻痕、表面輕微劃痕和銀線嵌體的輕微損失。自然包漿瑩潤，深金棕色。

重量：185.4 克
尺寸：長 27.8 厘米

文獻比較：
比較一件相近的楸木雕古琴式刻銘臂擱‧蘭石銘，見Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss，《Arts from the Scholar's Studio》，香港大學藝術博物館，香港，1986年，頁121，編號86。另一件晚明至清代的紫檀琴形紙鎮，見同本書，頁235，圖錄編號224。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：倫敦蘇富比，2011年11月9日，lot 49
價格：GBP 4,000（相當於今日EUR 6,000）
描述：清代烏木琴式臂擱