宿州市中国国家博物馆藏“九霄环佩”古琴

“九霄环佩”古琴图片从左至右依次为：中国国家博物馆藏、故宫博物院藏、辽宁省博物馆藏

中国国家博物馆所藏“九霄环佩”古琴，其形制古朴，工艺精湛，堪称稀世珍品。琴体通长一尺二寸三分五厘，肩宽二尺三寸，尾宽一尺五寸，厚五寸六分

。此琴以桐木为面，梓木为底，原漆为黑色，历经岁月，漆光尽褪，色如栗壳，褪漆之处露出红地。蚌徽，鹿角灰胎，通体发蛇腹兼牛毛断纹。龙池为圆形，凤沼为长椭圆形，纳音微隆。雁足与琴轸皆为红色玛瑙石制成。

琴底颈部、龙池上方阴刻大篆书“九霄环佩”四字琴名。龙池左右两侧镌刻有南宋周必大行草书铭文，曰：“雷氏斫之，肇自开元，冯氏宝之，不知几传。我非知音，而理可言，心主于内，手应乎弦。故声和可以仰马，意杀形之捕蝉，岂特此哉。大则歌《南风》，小即治箪父，举不出于斯焉。”款署为“嘉泰元年四月辛丑平园老叟周必大书”。龙池下部阴刻一“中和之气”篆书印。

此琴声音温劲松透，形制极浑厚古朴，自清末以来即为古琴家所仰慕，被视为“鼎鼎唐物”和“仙品”。因其在传世唐琴中最为独特，最为古老，声音更是完尽，故成为举国知名的瑰宝。

The "Jiuxiao Huanpei" Guqin housed in the National Museum of China is an ancient and exquisitely crafted instrument, truly a rare treasure. The total length of the instrument is 123.5 centimeters, with a shoulder width of 23 centimeters, a tail width of 15 centimeters, and a thickness of 5.6 centimeters. The instrument features a face made of phoenix wood and a base made of catalpa wood. The original lacquer is black, but over time, the lacquer has faded, now resembling the color of chestnut shells, with the red undercoat visible where the lacquer has worn off. The inlays are made of mother-of-pearl, and the core is made of deer antler ash. The entire body exhibits snake-belly and ox-hair crackle patterns. The dragon pond is circular, and the phoenix marsh is oval-shaped, with a slightly raised soundboard. The bridge and tuning pegs are both made of red agate.

On the bottom of the instrument, above the dragon pond, there are four characters inscribed in seal script, reading "Jiuxiao Huanpei." On either side of the dragon pond, there are inscriptions in running cursive script by Zhou Bida of the Southern Song Dynasty, which read: "Crafted by Lei, originating from the Kaiyuan era, treasured by the Feng family, through countless generations. Though I am not a connoisseur, I can still speak of its principles: The heart guides from within, while the hands respond to the strings. Thus, the harmonious sound can inspire the horse to look up, and the focused intent can capture the cicada, but this is not all. Greatly, it can sing the 'Southern Wind'; minimally, it can manage the bamboo father, all within its capabilities." The inscription is signed: "Written by Zhou Bida, the old man of Pingyuan, on the day of Xin Chou in April of the first year of the Jiatai era." Below the dragon pond, there is an inscription of the seal script "Zhonghe Zhi Qi."

This guqin has a warm, strong, and resonant sound, with an extremely ancient and simple form. Since the late Qing Dynasty, it has been admired by guqin players and is regarded as a "prestigious Tang Dynasty artifact" and a "divine instrument." Because it is the most unique and ancient among the surviving Tang Dynasty guqins, with a sound that remains complete, it has become a nationally renowned treasure.