id:			98676
accession number:	1918.371
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1918.371
updated:		2022-06-22 09:00:11.527000

Guqin, 1600s. China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Wood, horn, silk, mother-of-pearl; overall: 4.5 x 18.1 x 123.5 cm (1 3/4 x 7 1/8 x 48 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Charles G. King, Jr. Collection.  Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King, Jr. 1918.371

title:				Guqin
title in original language:	古琴
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1600s
creation date earliest:		1600
creation date latest:		1699
current location:		
creditline:			The Charles G. King, Jr. Collection.  Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King, Jr.
copyright:			

---

culture:	China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
technique:	Wood, horn, silk, mother-of-pearl
department:	Chinese Art
collection:	Chinese Art
type:		Musical Instrument
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

---

CREATORS

---

measurements: Overall: 4.5 x 18.1 x 123.5 cm (1 3/4 x 7 1/8 x 48 5/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

---

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Migrations of Memory––The Poetry and Power of Music (平沙落雁 — 音樂的詩意與力量) (Chinese art rotation)
	opening date:   2021-11-19T05:00:00
	<i>Migrations of Memory––The Poetry and Power of Music (平沙落雁 — 音樂的詩意與力量) (Chinese art rotation)</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 19, 2021-May 8, 2022).

---

LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

---

PROVENANCE

	Ralph King [1855–1926], Cleveland Heights, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: ?–1918
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1918–
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


---

fun fact: 
The 13 studs in mother-of-pearl inlay indicate finger positions for sounding harmonics.

digital description: 


wall description: 
Empowered to communicate profound feelings, the guqin-zither, beloved of sages and the philosopher Confucius, is the most prestigious instrument in China. Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD) writers claim that the <em>guqin</em> helped cultivate character, understand morality, enhance life, and enrich learning. In paintings, Chinese literati are typically playing the instrument in a landscape setting, as the sound of the guqin symbolizes harmony between man and nature. Guqins more than 100 years old are considered best. Strings of varying thicknesses are made of twisted silk.
---

RELATED WORKS

---

CITATIONS

	"Accessions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 5, no. 8/9 (1918): 82-85.
	page number: 	Mentioned: p. 82
	url:		http://www.jstor.org/stable/25136230

	D. S. M. "Exhibition of Musical Instruments." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 8, no. 9 (1921): 134-43.
	page number: 	Mentioned: pp. 134-137
	url:		http://www.jstor.org/stable/25136517

	Peng, Wei 彭薇, and Clarissa von Spee. <em>Migrations of Memory: The Poetry and Power of Music by Chinese Artist Peng Wei in Collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>= 平沙落雁—音樂的詩意與力量: 中國藝術家彭薇與克利夫蘭藝術博物館合作. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2021.
	page number: 	Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 13
	url:		

---

IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1918.371/1918.371_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1918.371/1918.371_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1918.371/1918.371_full.tif