Page 94 - Christie's Hong Kong November 29, 2022 Fine Chinese Works of Art

The main decorative band on this jar depicts imperial five-clawed both the concept of qi (vital energy) and spontaneous formation.
dragons amongst clouds and waves and separated by shou (longevity) Wan suggests that the latter associated the motif with xiangrui (good
characters rising as vapour from lingzhi fungus. A small number of omens), and that the organic form of the shou character reinforced the
similar jars are known in important international collections, while an auspiciousness of Heaven’s blessing for the longevity of the emperor
example was also excavated in 1971 from Chaoyang in Beijing and is and the prosperity of the empire.
now in the Capital Museum Beijing (see Zhongguo taoci quanji – Ming,
vol. 12, Shanghai, 2000, pl. 163) (fig. 1). The imperial dragons on these Wan specifically discusses the fact that the shou characters on jars like
jars are of a type particularly associated with the Jiajing reign, having the current example emerge from lingzhi fungus growing from a rock
undulating serpentine bodies and large heads with bulging eyes and rising from the waves (see Wan, op. cit., p. 107). In 1556 Wu Shan of
open mouths. The use of the character for longevity is not unexpected the Ministry of Rites described the auspicious associations of lingzhi
on porcelains made for an emperor such as the Jiajing Emperor, was for the emperor, mentioning three important aspects: that lingzhi was
a passionate adherent of Daoism and was obsessed with the notion a drug of the immortals and that Xiwangmu (the Queen Mother of
of immortality. However, this particular design, with vapour-like the West) gave it to the Yellow Emperor; that the appearance of lingzhi
characters, has been the subject of fascinating research carried out by signified the harmonious state of the energy of the earth; and that the
the scholar Maggie Wan (see Maggie C.K. Wan, ‘Jiajing Emperor and appearance of lingzhi also signified the virtuous and harmonious rule
His Auspicious Words’, Archives of Asian Art, vol. 57, 2008, pp. 95- of the emperor (see Wan, op. cit., 107-8). There are various references
120). Wan points out that although Chinese characters had been used in Song and Ming dynasty texts to lingzhi either growing in places
as decoration since at least the third century BCE, the ‘organic form’ shaded by auspicious vapour or themselves emitting vapour. Lingzhi
of characters was an innovation of the Jiajing reign and was a relatively which released vapour were considered to be wonderful, and thus
short-lived phenomenon. lingzhi which produced vapour in the form of a longevity character
was a particularly good omen. Such vaporous longevity character
Wan contends that these ‘organic’ characters on Jiajing imperial accompanying an imperial dragon (representing the emperor himself),
porcelains differ from other decorative auspicious characters in that: as on the current jar, represented an invocation of Heaven’s bestowal of
‘The continuous stroke used to form the character conveyed the idea of longevity on the Jiajing Emperor and his empire. Such vessels would
qi, and the emergence from an element of nature (rock, tree) suggested have been especially prized by the emperor.
spontaneity.’ (see Wan, op. cit., p. 97.) Thus, the characters embody

年第57期頁95-120刊載之尹氏論文<Jiajing Emperor and His 尹氏文中更具體談到，此類瓷罐 (本拍品亦屬此列) 的壽字是
Auspicious Words>。據其分析，以中國文字為裝飾雖可上溯至 從海中巖石之上的靈芝伸延而出 (詳見前述論文頁107)。公元
公元前三世紀，但這種「渾然天成」(organic form)的手法實屬 1556年，禮部吳山曾向天子講解靈芝的祥瑞之意，內含三大
嘉靖一朝之創舉，但前後歷時較短。 要素：一是靈芝乃仙藥，西王母曾以神芝贈予黃帝；二是「土
氣和，故芝草生」；三是「王者德仁，則芝草生」(詳見前述著
據尹翠琪分析，嘉靖御瓷特有的「渾然天成」之文字裝飾，有
作頁107-8)。宋明二代，文獻多有提及靈芝生於祥雲籠罩之
別於其他的吉祥語紋飾：「其筆劃一氣呵成，深得「氣」之神
處，或謂芝草可釋出祥雲瑞氣。靈芝釋出雲氣為瑞兆之一，其
髓，從天然材質 (如石、樹等) 冉冉升起，則意味着天地造化、
散發的雲氣繞結成壽字更是禎祥無比。若像本拍品般繪以祥
順其自然。」(英文原文可參考尹氏前述著作頁97。) 因此，這
雲狀的壽字，再伴以被視為天子化身的皇家龍紋，應是祈願
類吉祥語既象徵「氣」，亦喻指應時而生。尹氏指出，這重深
嘉靖皇帝壽福齊天，社稷長治久安。遙想當年，皇上對此類作
意將該等題材與祥瑞劃上等號，渾然天成的壽字則使天子萬
品定然愛不釋手、鍾愛有加。
歲、江山永葆的禎祥寓意更呼之欲出。

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