Wristrest in the Shape of a Chin (Lute)

This wristrest is beautifully crafted in the shape of a ch'in or Chinese lute, an instrument long associated with the literati and a symbol of antiquity and scholarship. The craftsmen used lung-yan timber from Fukien province. This wood is famous for its tiger stripe graining while the form is further enhanced by a row of thirteen ivory inlays resembling the markers on an actual qin. The top of the rest is carved with a poem by Kuo Shang-hsien in two five-character stanzas, which reads: My home is without material wealth The classics are its fertile fields. Kuo Shang-hsien was a famous official and calligrapher from Pu-tian in Fukien. He was a scholar, painter, poet, and well-known calligrapher who held several official posts both in Peking and the provinces.