Page 275 - Christie's Hong Kong November 29, 2022 Fine Chinese Works of Art

EMPEROR QIANLONG’S

CHUILU TIANHUANG SEAL

GUO FUXIANG

In the imperial palace, seals are important utensils in the scholar’s Carved from tianhuang stone, the seal surface of this lustrous seal
studio and are closely associated with the daily lives of Emperors or measures 2.5 cm long, 1.3 cm wide and 4.4 cm high, with a two-
Empresses. The paintings and calligraphy in the imperial collection character inscription Chuilu in relief. A clear record of this seal is
are impressed with personal seals, each revealing their own history documented in the Qing court catalogues of imperial seals Qianlong
in the imperial court. Telling different stories, they are a real treat baosou, Jiaqing baosou, and Daoguang baosou, matching in all particulars,
for connoisseurs and viewers alike. The numerous plaques and including the material, size, and inscription. Comparing the seal face
couplets hanging around the palace buildings also bear these seal with its impressions on the baosou catalogues of the three Emperors,
marks, as they form an integral part of the architectural and interior the process of deterioration is evident, and condition is very consistent
decorations. Found on various imperial cultural objects, these seal with the present seal. Thus, we can ascertain that this seal is indeed an
marks also offer a significant basis for the identification and research authentic Qianlong imperial seal.
of the imperial collection. Emperor Qianlong, in particular, produced
a large number of imperial seals in his lifetime to be used on his own A key feature of a Qianlong imperial seal is the variety of sources
calligraphy or paintings or as collector’s seals on books and paintings from which the inscriptions came, one of which is ancient Chinese
in his collection, making them important indications of the cultural classics and texts. An avid learner of Han culture, Emperor Qianlong
prosperity during his reign. Among them, there is one type of cultivated himself as a Confucian scholar well versed in ancient
multipurpose seals largely made in the early Qianlong period. These texts. His cultural sophistication is reflected in all aspects of his life,
seals of various forms often bear the inscriptions of auspicious words including his seals, many of which are directly or indirectly taken from
or idiomatic phrases. They were used frequently and were continued classics and historical books. Inscriptions related to state governance
to be used by the later Jiaqing and Daoguang Emperors. This present and cultivation of ethics were borrowed from Confucian Classics such
Chuilu seal is one of them. as the Analects, Classic of Poetry, Book of Documents, Book of Changes,

關於乾隆帝田黃石「垂露」璽

郭福祥

在清宮，印章是十分重要的文房用品，它和帝后的日常文化生 此璽田黃石質，光素，印面縱2.5釐米，寬1.3釐米，通高4.4釐
活有著密切的聯繫。展閱御府書畫，鈐於其上的林林總總的 米。印文為陽文「垂露」二字。此璽在現藏於北京故宮的《乾
各式帝后印章顯示出它們各自流傳的經歷，觀摩之餘，確能 隆寶藪》《嘉慶寶藪》和《道光寶藪》中均有明確著錄。經比
給人一種別樣的享受。環視宮中殿宇，鮮活的帝后印章遺跡 對，無論是材質、體量，還是篆法佈局都與《寶藪》中的記載
更是比比皆是，它們與眾多的牌、匾、聯、額一起，構成了宮 完全相合。將該璽印面與三帝寶藪中的印本對比，印面殘損
殿建築室內外裝飾裝修中的重要組成部分。皇帝璽印及其使 的過程一目了然，狀況與實物也非常一致。可以確定此璽為
用遺跡廣泛分佈於各類宮廷文物之中，成為宮廷收藏的重要 乾隆皇帝寶璽的真品。
鑒別依據。尤其是乾隆皇帝，一生刻製了大量寶璽，或用於御
乾隆皇帝寶璽的重要特點之一是擇取璽文的管道多種多樣,
筆書畫的鈐蓋，或用於書畫和典籍的鑒藏標識，成為此一時
而其中最重要的一個管道是豐富的中國古代經史典籍。乾隆
期宮廷文化繁盛的重要物證。其中有一類通用小璽，它們基
皇帝十分重視對漢文化的學習，自覺地利用儒家思想塑造自
本上製作於乾隆早期，形態多樣，印文多為吉祥詞句或成語，
己，一生博覽群書，好學不倦。他深厚的文化修養在其生活
使用頻率很高，並且繼續被後來的嘉慶皇帝和道光皇帝所使
中的方方面面都有反映，在其寶璽中亦有充分的體現，他的
用。此方「垂露」小璽就是其中之一。
許多璽文直接或間接出自經史典籍。與治國理政和道德修養

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