Listening to the Qin (Zither)

Also known as: Listening to the Qin (Zither); Listening to the Qin (Zither) 聽琴圖

About the Artwork

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.

Inscriptions

劉松年

Exhibition history

The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984). Asian Autumn: Masterpieces from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 17, 1991-January 5, 1992). Highlights of Asian Paintings from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Nara National Museum (organizer) (February 21-March 29, 1998); Suntory Museum of Art (April 28-June 21, 1998). The Resonance of the Qin in Far Eastern Art. China Institute in America, New York, NY (organizer) (September 16-December 12, 1999). Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting (Chinese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2023-May 5, 2024).

Quick Overview

Artist: Liu Songnian (Chinese, c. 1150-after 1225)
Date: 1150–after 1225
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.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Chinese Art
Credit line: Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession no.: 1983.85

Provenance

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

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.