Qin
Alternate name(s)
- Q’in
- Ch’in
- Zither
Date1960-1973 ca.
Place MadeHong Kong, China, Asia
Serial No.none
SignednoneMarkingsCarved into the back of the instrument: 3 Chinese characters
Written in ink inside soundhole on left and right sides: 6 Chinese characters per side
DescriptionHollow, lacquered wooden body with seven silk strings, each consisting of hundreds of individual silk strands. Simulated tortoise-shell string fastener and end brackets. Mother-of-pearl and tortoise-shell circular inlays indicating stops on bass side of strings.
Traditionally, qin lacquers included various powdered gemstones or deer horn, as well as copper dust, in hopes of enhancing the finish and, in time, the tone. For this reason, lacquer recipes are guarded closely by qin craftsmen. The history of the qin can be traced back more than 3,000 years to the Zhou dynasty (ca. 1100-221 BC), when it was an integral part of art music. The qin (literally, "string instrument") was played in ensemble with se (a zither with moveable bridges, predecessor to the guzheng), bells, chimes, drums, and stones (specially carved and suspended to produce tones when played like bells). Later, qin playing developed into a more personal, intimate time of reflection, known now through the literary work of sages and scholars.
DimensionsLength: 1238 mm (48.75 in)
Width: 185 mm (7.25in )
Height: 103 mm (4 in)
Vibrating length of strings: 1142 mm (45 in)
ProvenancePurchased new by Byron Poon, theology student at Society of St. Mary’s and St. John’s Monastery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Poon passed away in 1973, and his father formally gifted the instrument to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. In 2001, deaccessioned by the MFA, Boston, and sold to the National Music Museum.
Credit LineBoard of Trustees, 2001
Object number10032
On View
Not on view
1900-1925 ca.
1880-1900 ca.
1960 ca.
1955-1975 ca.
1890-1910 ca.