The story of the “Qiulai” qin unraveled by radiocarbon dating, Chinese inscriptions and material characterization

Heritage Science

Tiphaine Fabris¹  Witold Nowik¹  Stéphane Vaiedelich²  Cyrille Foasso³  Christine Hatté⁴  Marie-Gabrielle Durier⁵  Alexandre Girard-Muscagorry⁶ 

[1] Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Ministère de la Culture, CNRS USR 3224, 36 rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005, Paris, France;Laboratoire de Recherche des Monuments Historiques (LRMH), 29 rue de Paris, 77420, Champ‐sur‐Marne, France;Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Ministère de la Culture, CNRS USR 3224, 36 rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005, Paris, France;Musée de la Musique, Cité de la Musique - Philharmonie de Paris, 221 avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019, Paris, France;Curator, Musée des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), 60 rue Réaumur, 75003, Paris, France;Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de L’Environnement, UMR 8212 CEA CNRS UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France;Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de L’Environnement, UMR 8212 CEA CNRS UVSQ, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France;Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Ministère de la Culture, CNRS USR 3224, 36 rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005, Paris, France;Musée de la Musique, Cité de la Musique - Philharmonie de Paris, 221 avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019, Paris, France;Musée de la Musique, Cité de la Musique - Philharmonie de Paris, 221 avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019, Paris, France;Curator, Musée de la Musique, Équipe Conservation Recherche, CRC, MNHN, CNRS USR 3224, Ministère de la Culture, 36 Rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005, Paris, France;

关键词: qin;    Chinese zither;    Tang Kai;    Musical instrument;    eighteenth century;    Radiocarbon dating;    Spectroscopy;    Qin dynasty texts;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40494-021-00563-8

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

An ancient table zither qin, an emblematic stringed instrument of traditional Chinese music, has been rediscovered in the museum collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (inv.4224, CNAM collection), Paris. This instrument named “Qiulai” qin, whose origin is poorly documented, can claim to be one of the oldest qin preserved in European collections; its state of conservation is exceptional. A thorough examination was carried out based on an innovative approach combining museum expertise, material characterization analyses (optical microscopy, VIS/IR/UV imaging, X-ray fluorescence, SEM–EDS, Raman) and advanced radiocarbon dating technology (MICADAS). Our results highlight the great coherence with the traditional manufacturing practices mentioned in early Qing dynasty qin treatises and poems, in particular the collection of materials with highly symbolic meanings referring to the qin sound, nature and the universe. The reuse of resinous wood of the Taxus family from a building such as a temple has been demonstrated. The ash layer contains bone black, crushed malachite and residues of silica, ochres, potassium and magnesium aluminosilicates. Our study confirms the antiquity of the "Qiulai" qin in Europe by indicating that it was most likely made in the small [1659–1699] interval of about 30 years at the turn of the eighteenth century.

【 授权许可】

CC BY