Listening to the Qin (Zither) — About This Work
Liu Songnian, 1150–after 1225
About the Work
Listening to the Qin (Zither) is a Southern Song album leaf in ink and slight colour on silk. Three figures gather beneath overhanging pine branches: a musician plays the qin while a seated listener and a standing attendant complete the intimate scene.
The Cleveland Museum of Art relates the subject to the story of Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi, in which the qin becomes an expression of understanding between musician and listener. The small circular composition concentrates attention on the figures, the instrument and the quiet setting beneath the pines.
The work's delicacy is part of its character. Fine lines define the figures and foliage, while restrained colour and the warm silk ground give the image a calm, closely observed presence.
The Work
Artist: Liu Songnian
Title: Listening to the Qin (Zither)
Date: 1150–after 1225
Medium: Album leaf; ink and slight colour on silk
Recorded dimensions: 24.6 × 23.8 cm
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession number: 1983.85
Print & Presentation
Palatine presentation: 30 × 30 cm / 12 × 12 in.
The complete artwork is reproduced without cropping or distortion. Where the museum image and recorded dimensions differ slightly in aspect ratio, the source image proportions are preserved and fitted within the recorded dimensional bounds rather than stretched.
Frame finishes: Black, White or Natural.
Paper & glazing: Enhanced Matte + Perspex; Enhanced Matte + Moth-Eye.
Why Original Scale?
Most art-print shops offer the same image in a choice of Small, Medium and Large sizes. We take a different approach. For each edition, we begin with the recorded dimensions of the original work and reproduce the complete image at that scale, preserving its proportions and avoiding enlargement, reduction, cropping or distortion.
Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Open Access, accession 1983.85.
Care: Display in a dry interior away from prolonged direct sunlight and sources of moisture.
Notes from Palatine
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