Collection record · Objects & craft
Guqin made by Zhang Ruixiu of Suzhou
The collection record classifies this work as musical instrument. It is dated 1584. Recorded culture or place: China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Guqin made by Zhang Ruixiu of Suzhou
- Date
- 1584
- Culture / origin
- China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Materials and technique
- Seven-string Asian long zither, chordophone, made from wood, lacquer, mother of pearl, and silk strings
- Dimensions
- Overall: 4.5 x 18.1 x 123.5 cm (1 3/4 x 7 1/8 x 48 5/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Not specified by the museum
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1918.371
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
China’s most prestigious instrument, the guqin can be traced to the Chu culture almost 2500 years ago. By the late Ming dynasty, Jiangnan was a center of high-end guqin production.
Coated in black lacquer, this elegantly crafted instrument is inscribed on the inside, stating it was made by Zhang Ruixiu of Suzhou for Mr. Tianchi of Haiyu, also known as Yan Cheng (1547–1625). Yan was a key figure in guqin music history and founder of the Yushan school in Suzhou. Zhang Ruixiu was a guqin maker, known for achieving a supreme tone quality. Ten instruments attributed to him are known, of which this guqin has the earliest date.
FOLLOW THE SOURCE
Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr. · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
Open the complete museum record View the open-access policyTHE VISITOR BOOK
What caught your eye?
Opening the visitor book…
