The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Scholar Playing a Qin

1800s

Korea, Joseon dynasty

(1392–1910)
album leaf; ink and color on silk
Painting only: 23.5 x 23.8 cm (9 1/4 x 9 3/8 in.); Overall: 26.5 x 26.5 cm (10 7/16 x 10 7/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1990.69
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The Korean zither with six strings, depicted in this painting, was often played by men.

Description

The painting invites viewers to an intimate qin, or zither, recital in the cool breezy night under the moon. The musician at the center gently strums the strings, while his servant boy is drowsing, without realizing the tea pot is steaming. In older times, playing a musical instrument was considered an effective way to cultivate one's spiritual and mental balance.
  • ?–1990
    (Kang Collection, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland)
    1990–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Sŏn, Sŭng-hye. The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2011. Mentioned: p. 52; Reproduced: p. 45, no. 23
    Treasures from Korea: Arts and Culture of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2014.
    Narrative Figure Paintings of the Joseon Dynasty [조선 시대 고사 인물화]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2016.
    Ch'a, Mi-rae, Kwi-suk An, Cleveland Museum of Art, and 국외소재문화재재단. The Korean Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Edited by An Min-hŭi. First edition, English ed. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Series, 16. Seoul, Republic of Korea: Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, 2021. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 184, no. 114
  • The Lure of Painted Poetry: Japanese and Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 15-August 21, 2011).
    Asian Autumn: Later Korean Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 22, 1992-January 3, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=Scholar Playing a Qin|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.69