Page 19 - Nov 2019 Christie's Hong Kong a Falancai Imperial Bowl.

fig. 3 A famille verte ‘birthday‘ dish, Kangxi mark and period
Collection of the Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, currently on loan to the British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum
எӲ ᳖ᄮᾭ Նᆭ⸥ᮆஎ⏎ ݪໃᥓᝧ᪪
ഌヵᇪఫ㞖ᝯ⻦৅ →٨ཿԽഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦

the lotus were prized, so all stages of the lotus’s life cycle were revered. Even ᫉㉼הᙻӭࣆ୨ᝲ卻࣊ݩ݉ ჺ卼卿ज㇦㘺Ջ
in the winter, when all that remained above the surface of the pool were ༈ԋ⁞㉑⎏ᵐᮆ卿ײ⎑ӳ᚝ᙻᜰᛌ࣊ज㐃⳴卿⩧ᬑ
the bent and broken stems, these were admired by scholars, who saw in the
㮷ᇅߪ೽ᜠԠᛞǯ
reflection of the stems in the still water a likeness to the brush strokes of fine
calligraphy.
ᄮᾭՔዏᙹ㉑ᯧ卿ݴஎங༈ԋᇑՖ㐃⳴Ԡᦼǯ⸥Ɽ
The appreciation of lotuses by the emperors of the Qing dynasty is attested ჎⯝ᱲ᜜⏟ᓽԆ㋏卿ᘢ᫉ῂᯇ卻իᯇ࢈ᐂᇪ卼リ༈
to not only in the art created for their courts, but in their own determination
Ԯᝳ⸥⎏ⱥ㔌ǯ⋁஠⨍ྒྷஉ⥴卿ᄮᾭᙻ ჺᘬ
to surround themselves with the living plants. Among the many poems on
ռங᫉⽔࡚႙⯞ᅤ㚈᜜ྒྷⴃǯԖ༈ᬆ⨍ᙻ ჺ
the subject of lotuses composed by the Kangxi Emperor’s grandson, the
Qianlong Emperor (1736-95), several refer to special warm springs or warm ⛎႙卿ᄮᾭ㐁लǸ㚈᜜ྒྷⴃǹ卿Ԇ㚁Ӳࢦݪ⽔ࡠᜀ卿
ponds (wenquan ᳪᯛ , tangquan ᴨᯛ or wenchi ᳪᮆ ) in which lotuses were प㐋㉼㊗Ԡ卿औ㉭ռ⊺།ᮨ္ἃ㉼ㅳஎ卿 ჺ⢙
grown. One of these poems, entitled Tangquan xinhe ᴨᯛᙲ⳴ New Lotus
㫀ἃஎᙔԆⲧ⎏Ƕᇙㅳ㚈᜜ྒྷⴃ㉼Ƿ卿ᄮᾭ⁞ἃ᫉
in the Hot Spring (recorded in Qing Gaozong yuzhi shi chuji ᳖㵶໵ᇙㅳ㉼ߝ
הᄑ卿Ԇ᪩໸ᝧԋ㯪㉙ǯཝ㮷Ӭᓽ⎏ᛓ卿⎑ӳᇙ㚁
㫀 , juan 40, makes it clear that these warm pools or warm springs enabled
lotuses to blossom much earlier in the year than they would naturally have ࡠᜀԠԋ卿അ⽔᣿ᝳ⸥Ɽ卿ᄮᾭᝤ㋢ռஙリ༈㉑㈷
done. Part of the poem may be translated as: ԋ࠼㉑⸥ᮆ卿Ꮢս㚈᜜ྒྷⴃݤ卿⸥Ɽ㪪⽔ज㇦ǯ༈
ݤᝤཆᙃ‷㩴ⶔ⸆᭢ἃᮆ卿ս؝♎᣿㞖⸥ǯ㞖⸥⊄
‘In the other pools the new leaves are just beginning to sprout,
While the warm pool is already full of glorious lotus blossoms. ⯇ᘭᶴᚐ卿஠⽔ⷡऒ஠ࢥ卿ᘢࣽलǸᘭᶴ⸥ǹ卿᫉
The temperature difference between the cold and warm [pools] is such Ɽ㰍න⣯⡙卿ӻ㯄ἃ⩫༠ǯԳ㪏ᙻ ⯍ ჺ
That the speed [of growth] is altered accordingly.’
㧿উ՞⤔⦕Ƕ᪩໸ῂᯇሂǷ ᘘ㢙ᙻǶ୨ᄣݥᝧǷ卼卿
As the poem was composed in the fourth month of the dingmao year ᗌ࣍Ԭࢦ୨㉃㖊厍ǸᘭᶴᏒ⊄卿㖅㨸ݤཝצ卿ྒྷⴃ
(equivalent to AD 1747) it would seem that, by employing these specially ☭᣿Ԡǯ౻ം஠༠卿Ⳟណഅ᚝㿩ⶔ卿⳴ℒ᳅☌བ㧷卿
warmed pools, the court could enjoy the beauty of lotus flowers in late
ណ⼵୪㓾ᛞ⃫ᝳ㧷ᘞ⩢ǯǹ
spring, rather than having to wait for the warmer summer months.

The Kangxi Emperor also ensured that he could enjoy lotuses within his ᄮᾭႽᝳ୨㲛ঘ⸥㉼۔ӽ卿Ӳ⩢⎐ᓽߪǸࢨ⶟⸥ǹǯ
palaces. Lotuses were especially associated with relief from the heat of սӴǶࢨ⶟⸥ǷӬ㉼᫈ᛓ༵ձஙᇙⱹஶ⏭ᙢ㪈卿␓

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