Lot 1178, A brown-lacquered porcelain model of a qin, Ming-Qing dynasty (1368-1911). Estimate USD 40,000 ~ 60,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2016

The bridge sits on two short hoof-form feet, and the form tapers down to the rounded end, fitted with serpentine pegs on the base. The qin is covered overall in a warm, brown lacquer, with an inscription on one side reading Da Ming Chenghua er nian Defu chong xiu (relacquered in the House of De in the second year of the Chenghua Reign). 44 ¼ in. (112.4 cm.) long

Literature: M. Knight, 'Scholar's Objects in the Ian and Susan Wilson Collection', Orientations, May 1999, p. 51, fig. 5.

Exhibited: Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2002-2015.

Christie's. THE IAN AND SUSAN WILSON COLLECTION OF SCHOLAR'S OBJECTS, 17 March 2016, New York, Rockefeller Plaza