Listening to the Qin (Zither)

Description

Listening to the Qin recalls the story of Bo Ya, a musician who loved to play the qin (a seven-stringed zither) for Zhong Ziqi, who was a discerning listener. The cool shade of the pine trees and the incense wafting from the burner complemented the atmosphere created by the music. After Zhang died, Bo refused to play the instrument ever again. The intimate format of the album leaf focuses on the music as the key to stir the heart and soul of both player and listener.

Provenance

Cheng Qi 程琦 [1911–1988], Hong Kong, to his daughter Julia C. Chiang; Mrs. Julia C. Chiang, New Jersey; (Clark Cheng, Mountainside, NJ, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1983); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1983–)

Listening to the Qin (Zither)

Liu Songnian

1150–after 1225

Accession Number

1983.85

Medium

Album leaf; ink and slight color on silk

Dimensions

Image: 23.8 x 24.6 cm (9 3/8 x 9 11/16 in.); with mat: 33.3 x 40.5 cm (13 1/8 x 15 15/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund