Page 20 - Nov 2019 Christie's Hong Kong a Falancai Imperial Bowl.

summer and so were also a feature of the Imperial Summer Palace in Jehol ߿⸥ᮆⰴ㞒ⱥ۔卿༈ഺᯬ⯰ᓚ⳴卿㘆⯀൘✖⊂Ɽ卿
(present-day Chengde in Hebei province). The Kangxi Emperor ordered Ӭ‷㧾ካ㙐㑪㔮὞⡮ӳ厍
the construction of a summer palace in this mountainous area, and work was
begun in 1703. When the main palace complex was completed in 1711, the ●ⱹߝ☌ℱᬆᲔ卿⣔⳴⣌ẏ㙬᳖ਦǯ
Kangxi Emperor bestowed upon it the name Bishu Shanzhuang ( 㚈᜜ྒྷ
ࢨⲖ᭢㬷㞒㞒ⰴ卿ᄃᄟ㰍߿᠀᠀㲞ǯ
ⴃ Mountain Villa for Avoiding the Heat), and also selected thirty-six scenic
༈ഺ☭Ⰴᔵ⢇⶟卿㘆⯀㖊✖㉵⡚ⱥǯ
views, composing a poem for each of them. The emperor commanded the
artist Shen Yu to create illustrations for each poem, and the poems with their ໸ᇵஶཌ㇛ྒྷ㬱卿Ӷ❖♯⦤᜚ഁ㪈ǯ
illustrations were published in 1712 in Thirty-six Imperial Poems on Bishu
Shanzhuang ᇙㅳ㚈᜜ྒྷⴃ㉼ , with a preface by the Kangxi Emperor himself ᄮᾭཌࢨ⶟⸥ካᝳℒ㤃卿ஙׅᝬᇌӬჺ߿卻࣊ᄮᾭ
and annotations inscribed on the emperor’s instructions. It is remarkable
ݪࢦӬჺ卿ݩ݉ ჺ卼ᝪউ႙ᖼⱤ㺠⎏ݤ㨌ໝ
how many of the views chosen by the emperor included areas of lotus, and
೥ݳ◶㛑׿㚿⹕ᅡ㢻卻ݩ݉ ⯍ ჺ卼הǶᘭ
it is recorded that the emperor required lotus ponds to be incorporated into
the design of the palace, and lotus are planted in profusion throughout the ᶴࢨ⶟⸥Ƿ㕻卻ވݩ卼卿எ㇦ǶԳ㪏⎑Ⴝ⎏ᙔࢇഌ
Bishu Shanzhuang. Indeed, one entire courtyard was given over to a pool ᥉Ƿ㮰 ⤔⽚ ** 卻झ࢈厍 卼ǯᄮᾭ㈊⊺ᇌ
containing golden lotuses. Lotuses were imported from an area in Mongolia 䂆㯭ഌቼ卿␖㩸׿Ӯ⯀㯪㉼㊗Ԡǯ᫉㕻→ἃझ࢈இ
that was part of the Aohan Banner ᘭᶴᚐ and so the lotuses are known as
⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴Ⅷ⻦卿⊺ԋ⸥Ɽ卻Ӭ៨ἃ⟾⡚Ԇⷓ⸥卼
Aohan lotus ᘭᶴ⸥ , and were appreciated not only for their beauty, but also
⯝ទᐽ৅⎏ݬ㘻Ԡ⽔㰆⩧ᚿ㇦ǯទᐽ৅῟㙁ᙻᄮᾭ
because they were less susceptible to cold weather. There is specific mention
in the Qinding Rehe zhi ᪩໸ῂᯇሂ , juan ࣍ 94 (included in the Siku quanshu ᛮឆ卿Ꮢս⊺≢Ⴧᇈज⬒ᝪჇᯧ⹕᭄⊺ה卿≾Ꮅᛓ
୨ᄣݥᝧ Complete Library in Four Branches of Literature, compiled on the ⎑ӳᓄዪἃԠ卿⊐᫉⏭׹卿᫉⎾⋁जᙷջἃ
orders of the Qianlong Emperor between 1772 and 1781), noting that the
ჺǯ㘺Ӭᓠ㋏ᝤज㈛㞐卿ἃ׍ទᐽ৅⯝㫇᫈݉ჺ卻࣊
lotuses from Aohan are even better than those grown in Rehe, and that as the
ჺ卼㚿ӽ༱ᏒהǶ⪝⇧எǷ ㊄㇦Ӵᙔ卼ൈᙱ
area beyond the border is very cold, many other plants wither earlier than
elsewhere. Only this lotus blooms well into the autumn, and was sometimes ᓞ㘆ǯ㯄౑⅊ঀ⎏ᛓ卿ᄮᾭԠ໑Գ㪏ཌ⥾ㅳᙻ
even in bloom after the court returned from the autumn Mulan hunt. ჺ⎏Ƕᘭᶴࢨ⶟⸥ǷՔ㬪␓ᝳ࠼卿ս⯍⊺ᎰݪࢦӲ
ჺԠᇌ卿Գ㪏Նࢦჺ卻ݩ݉ ჺ卼卿ձஙリ༈
Of the four surviving poems written by the Kangxi Emperor on the subject
཰ږឆ㧿卿ݻ᪖ռ՞इ߅᫉⊺㈊㐃ǯձཌ⊺ԋ⸥Ɽ
of lotuses, three refer to the ࢨ⶟⸥ ‘thousand-petal lotus’. The following
poem captures the tranquil pleasure experienced by the Kangxi Emperor ⎏ዂ൘ዂ⫅᳅ἃ㐃㍃卿Ԇউ⎑ຽࣿஙᄠՆ⯀ἃ᫉㐋
as he sat at dusk in the imperial garden, enjoying the beauty and fragrance ㉼㊗Ԡǯ
of the lotuses and watching the palace ladies in their boats viewing the
blossoms, while favoured ministers try to capture the likeness of the lotuses
ज஄ज㿽⎏ᛓ卿Ƕᘭᶴࢨ⶟⸥Ƿԋ⥾ᝳӬⴏՀⱤ⎏
in paintings.
Ԇⷓ⸥卿ទᐽ৅Ք⥾Ԇⷓ⸥Ӳ៨ǯ᫉ⱤࣽलǸԆ㯔
Thousand-Petal Lotus ⸥ǹ卿ᥑἃ⧎㏟卿ӻ㱇्म▼༡ዪ卿ⲋ⧡㋭༈ⱹ卿
‘Early autumn in the Forbidden garden, the Jade Palace is cool; 㚍जᅸ⊒ἃᘟ᳖՞কǮഎჹ⏇ӽǯⱤ㧷ԆⷓՔ㎜ᇨ
Green lotuses in rushing stream, deliver clear music.
ഏ൴ቫዴǮ⯍᫗Ӷ᳟ǯ໦ࣽ♑Ǹࢨ≓⸥ǹ卿٨ᑨࢨ
Thousands bloom above water, layered bright colours;
⯺㯳ឃ⎐ൈ㯳սܭǯԆⷓ⸥ᛓ୬ⱤⱯߎ⊂卿ᆨᎰݦ
Countless rounds of wind blow, every stem fragrant.
Palace ladies row their boats, shaking the blue-green leaves; ٖℒ⛁⎏Ɽ⺢卿ᘢᝳՀⱤԆ㧷⎏→㎜卿⊐ᙻὍᯧ՞
Trusted ministers move their brushes, praising the red beauties. ႙ㅻㅳᎵప᣿卿Ꮢսㄴ㇬ἃⱤԋⅧ৅ǯԆⷓ⸥⎏⊂
Calming my mind, I sit quietly opposite the Western mountain;
Ꮀᨉℯᥑ׆卿ӻ⡩ྏ഍὞卿ݯ⸥⸤ՔԆߛ⩧⊂ǯझ
Not disturbed by the scenery glowing in the setting sun.’
࢈இ⛁ᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴Ⅷ⻦Ӭზዪഌߧ⪉♤ᝯ۔ᘰ೥㚿
So great was the Kangxi Emperor’s admiration for thousand-petal lotuses ӽ༱卻(JVTFQQF $BTUJHMJPOF卿ݩ݉ ⯍ ჺ卼
st
that in the 61 year of his reign (AD 1722), which was also the last year ⎏᭢ಳ㉑ⰰ⢷ទलהǶ⪝⇧எǷ卻ވ̛卼卿㚿᭄㯪
of his reign, he commanded the court artist and Grand Secretary to the
㍃㰆▔הᙻ㫇᫈݉ჺ卻ݩ݉ ჺ卼卿எ㇦Ƕᙲ
Imperial Court Jiang Tingxi ( ⹕ᅡ㢻 1669-1732) to create the painting
㇬⊤厍㚿ӽ༱⯝᳖༈㇛ᰑ㰍Ƿ㮰 ⤔⽚ 卻झ
Lotus of a Thousand Petals (fig. 4) (illustrated Emperor Ch’ien-Lung’s Grand
Cultural Enterprise, Taipei, 2002, p. 85, no. II-8). The Kangxi Emperor was ࢈厍 卼ǯ⊺ԋ⋁␓⽔⥾Ԇⷓ⸥Ӭ៨ࣿ⸥⸤Ӭཌǯ
so delighted with the painting that he instructed seven of the ministers who औᝳӬზ㫇᫈⫅۬卻ވҊ卼卿⊺ԋ⎏㫇᫈㖔ᐸӬԆ
were in attendance to compose poems and inscribe them on the painting.
ⷓ⸥ₕ⎏ൈዪ卿᫉ԛ㫇᫈ߝჺ⎏ה৅ǯ㊃ზ᭢ಳ㉑
Looking at this painting, which is in the collection of the National Palace
ⰰ⢷ទ⛁㕻→⻦࢈՗ᘢ༈卿எ㇦Ƕ'PSCJEEFO $JUZ ě
Museum, Taipei, it is possible to see a clear similarity between the lotuses in
the painting, which include a pink double lotus, and those on the current *NQFSJBM 5SFBTVSFT GSPN UIF 1BMBDF .VTFVN #FJKJOHǷ
bowl. In view of the fact that the bowl was made late in the Kangxi reign, 㮰 ⤔⽚ 卻ᅹमཪՌ厍 卼ǯ

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