Page 38 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK
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Beijing, Virginia, 2014, pp. 158-159, no. 109 (fig. 8).  This painting depicts   ӳᝳԳ㪏ᇙㅳ㉼ࣿ㯪᪪卿ἃ⊑⊒卻    卼
         the boys at play, but also collecting seasonal flowers and herbs, and bears an   Ꮢ㯪卿ႚӴ㈍ᝳ㞖ᅡ᧐ᥓᝧ㯪厍Ǹ⯀㞖ᅡ
         inscription ‘Respectfully painted by your servant Jin Tingbiao’, and a poem   ᧐ቯ⊺ǹ᪪ǯ
         by the Qianlong Emperor, dating it to a summer’s day in the jiashen year,
                                                                     ӳᙔᓽߪᝳӬ⛐ຽஙऱְ㯔ӳ㵶⯟⳴⶟卿
         equivalent to AD 1764.
                                                                     㘺ዪঀ␖Ǹ㙄⊂㏟ຽǹ卿⩧ӻǸ⸥ǹ࣊
         The boy holding a lotus leaf over his companion’s head, as noted above,   Ǹ⳴ǹ卿Ǹ⳴ǹ⯝Ǹকǹऱ㮥卿ᘢՔ༕㉂
         suggests the successive birth of sons, and could also suggest ‘may my   ԻǸຽ໑কभǹ⎏㯳ឃǯ⳴⶟Ӵ⎏ཎݓ㕇
         descendants live in harmony’ ຽ໑কभ zisun hehe, because another word for
                                                                     㳾⛛㲬卿᫉ԛǸ㲬ӳǹ㘺Ӭ჎⊇म▼㊥݉
         lotus is he ⳴ , which is a rebus for he ক meaning harmony.  The little boy   ⡵⎏ݓ⛐‸卿ᜡ઀Ǹ㲬ӳ᳎ӭǹǯ㩶᫉Ԡ
         over whose head the lotus leaf is held is shown riding a hobby-horse, which
                                                                     ം卿எԋ㚍㪰⻦Իݯձ⎏म▼㊥ক▴㯳ǯ
         may be seen as a child’s version of the rebus ‘on top of a horse’ mashang㲬ӳ,
                                                                     ㍔ൈ⧉㕇⥾Ӭཎݓన⛳卿Ǹ⛳ǹ㮥ऱǸ⊂ǹ卿
         which in Chinese also has the meaning of ‘soon’ or ‘immediately’, suggesting
                                                                     ᘢ٨ᑨ᳎ӭǯ⩫՞ཊঀ⎏ᛓ卿ទᐽ৅⎏⛳
         the imminent arrival of a boy child.  There are several other rebuses and
                                                                     ເབᓿӬ៨ᢣǯ㘺ᛓᡤ៨⎏㊂卿ߺǸ㙄⊂
         wishes included in the design.  Another of the boys on the jar carries an
                                                                     ㏟ຽǹԠዪᝤᛓঈԠ᪞߅卿ӻᡤ៨Ԯջヿ
         instrument called a sheng ⛳ which provides a rebus for giving birth sheng ⊂
                                                                     ز㊂Ꮢ㊯⎏ǸⱤ㧷⢙ຽǹ卿㱇्⎋ຽࢨ໑Ǯ
         and thus also provides a wish for sons.  Interestingly, on this jar there appears
                                                                     㧩উ⎋᫐⎏⧻ൃ㯳ឃǯ
         to be a branch inserted into the pipes of the sheng.  It is possible that this is
         intended to represent osmanthus (guihua ᡤⱤ ), in which case these symbols   औᝳӲ⛐ຽஶᙻᡮ߿卿޵␏᯷㇬Ӭ⎾卿⎾
         combine to represent the phrase ‘continuous birth of noble sons’ (liansheng   ԋᏒ⏇׍⁒㫍Ὅᇖᇑ⒖卿ֿ⏟㨸⎏㊀㞐ᝳ
         guizi 㙄⊂㏟ຽ ), while the osmanthus branch may also be a reference to the   Հ厍Ӭᛓձٛஙᗠ㵗ຽ卿㮥㋞Ǹ⊂ຽǹ厎
         Chinese saying Ɽ㧷⢙ຽ huakai jiezi ‘blossoming flowers soon bear fruit’,   Հᛓձٛங㶯へへ卿᫉㊯ऱ᧙⯝۔໵ᓞջ
         which suggests abundant sons and grandsons as well as longevity.
                                                                     ᝳ㨸ǯへへ㮥㘆Ǹড়ড়ǹ卿⛐ຽ⯝へへ⎏
                                                                     ⢑भᜡᑨǸघড়ড়ǹ卿༡ዪ᳎ӭǯऔᝳӬ
         Although it is not possible to see what is in the bowl into which the three
         boys seated at the table are peering. There are two likely references.  It is   ཎݓ⁡⥽ᐹӬⰛ⠢⤤⩠♾⎏ཎⰄǯǸⰄǹ
         possible that they are playing dice.  In Chinese die are 㵗ຽ shaizi, which is   ㋞Ǹ۔ǹ卿٨ᑨǸ۔ׅǹᎵᯬᑨǸջջ⏟
         a pun for ⊂ຽ shengzi ‘to give birth to sons’.  The alternative interpretation   ۔ǹǯݴឃݓ໑ჹ᫊㬪㫡ԛ⯍⦏ᐂℳׅԠ
         of the scene is that the boys are playing with katydids (crickets). This   ዪ卿བजᇖӬलஶஙऱְᏒᐹ୨㖥ཎ㕕ӳ
         interpretation would also relate to the birth of sons.  The word for katydid   ⎏⛐ຽ⏭߅⛘ٲǯձᏒᏊ⎏㯔㱈ἃ⎑ༀ㎜
         in Chinese is へへ guoguo, while the term for younger brother is ড়ড় gege,   ᇨ卿⩧ऱְஙձ㯔ӳᏒ⯟⎏Ꮧߺջヿׅཉ
         and so the combination of a boy with a katydid suggests the phrase घড়  ल㰆ǯ
         ড় jiao gege ‘calling for a brother’.  Another of the boys on the jar is pulling
                                                                     ⯍ᙻེ㰍߿⎏Ӭ⢑ວᏈஎ卿፽⯝հ㘶⯝⪪
         an elaborate toy boat along with a length of string.  In this case the boat,
                                                                     ጮᝳ㨸ǯӬ⩢⛘ஶᙻ⠢⧻⎏ྒྷ᭢ེ㰍Ԡ߿卿
         which is chuan Ⰴ in Chinese and provides a rebus for chuan ۔ meaning to
                                                                     㰆὞ᛓהᑌݎ⊂ԠᏈ卿ݯठᙹӬຽᏛԋన
         pass on something, such as rank, from one generation to another.  A further
                                                                     ࣍卿ヿ▔༕ឃݓ໑ൃໝӶٮǯ஠ӳᝳӬཎ
         clue to the desire for a son to achieve rank, or indeed to succeed his father
                                                                     ⛐᫈ង␖߿ᙹ⎏ᝧ࣍‥ࣸ卿㘺ㅞᓼ༵⎏Ꮅ
         as emperor, is the boy seated on a four-wheeled cart, which is being pulled
         along by another child.  The boy seated on the cart appears to be wearing a   ᛓǸᐔॶǹܔᅴ卿࣊ཆपⰰ⁒৅⧡ᙻ㑷᫐
         type of diadem – symbolic of royalty – while a third child holds a fan over   ໐ຽ߿卿⏭ձྏዪ׍⩢ǯ໐ݓⲋ㚁ԋᝧទ卿
         his head, suggesting rank.                                  ߺջヿձ㧩ഌᇌໝ༛Ն㕕ǯ㗻ի卿ᐔॶ⨶
                                                                     زխᛞजᇑ㇦卿ᗌ♑Հࢦӽ⡕㻜ܥ㢲㤃ᝧ
         Both rank and intelligence are suggested by the group of children in
                                                                     卻     ⯍      ჺ卼᫈୬㙉᫐ᛞᐔԋԻӬ
         front of the screen.  The child seated in front of the elaborate screen, on
                                                                     ទᝧ卿།՞ංཆԠᚿलǸ㤃ᝧǹ卿ዪ࣊Ǹ㤃
         which is painted a landscape, is clearly imitating an adult official, while
                                                                     ዴᝧទǹǯ
         another boy, seated to his right, is reading a book to suggest a studious
         temperament.  The child on his knees on the ground appears to be   ⧉⫒㧷ݏݤ⥾ᐙᐃⱤ៧卿⋁ԋᝳ㎜ᇨ㧩೰


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