Page 39 - Nov. 27, 2019 Christie's Important Works of Art HK

fig. 7 Mural by Wang Youxue and others (1776) on the west wall of the central room of the Yanghe Jingshe, Forbidden City, Beijing
எӮ ̏ԯഓຫ۬ቮձၚٸГ㛫ɪʘ൨ໝ

crawling towards a book. This may be a reference to the tradition of ⎏れᡥǯ㧷ݏംἃࢰໃ㢶஠卿ᜡ▔◘▼Ԡ
offering a range of objects to a one-year-old child to see which items he ݌Ꮀࢨӳⶃ卿⩧ᬔ⢑ࢰໃ㢶஠ݤՔप㱈Ӭ
will be attracted to. If the child reaches for a book, then it is assumed that म▼⁒ǯ଍⸌∪㱈Ւᝫ߅→⎏ᐙ៨れᡥ⯝
he will prove a good scholar. This tradition of offering a range of things 㬦ⱐ卿ᇌ⩢Քྏ◙೰Ԡᇨǯ༾ⅸ㮱ₕⲋ⸥
th
to a baby is still sometimes followed, and it is said that the 20 century ⺢卿ᚘջヿ⡩ᷛ卿Ք㵲→Իד།⸥ⵖࢇ⊂
scholar Qian Zhongshu (1910-1998 㢲㤃ᝧ was re-named for the fact Ԡ㊯ǯ
that he reached out and grasped a book on the occasion of his one-year
celebration. His given name Zhongshu means ‘fond of books’. ទᐽ৅⎏㘆ַ׾㇦ᙻⶬ㢙༯༯जᙇ厍ݯӬ
ἃ ჺ࢈՗ង㪈ࢥ⎏߅கᙔ⁒卿→⻦࢈
On the shoulders of the jar are cartouches containing fruiting sprays –
՗㲛㛢ࢷ⁒㱦卿எ㇦Ƕ㲛㛢ࢷ⁒㱦⻦≢㚁Ƿ
including peaches, symbolic of longevity. The cartouches are reserved
எ‸ 卻࢈՗厍 卼厎ݯՀἃ㲞ᳰ⻱
against a band of wan ࢰ lattice, multiplying the good wishes 10,000 times,
ワ㱦⻦厎✄Ӳ׾߅⯇ $IBSMFT 3VTTFMM ⯝ *WZ
while each section of lattice also bears an auspicious emblem. Around
$MBSL ഏ՞⯠⻦卿→Ⴁ⡢ݣഌⲖࢷ⁒㱦Ⅷ
the sides of the lid are alternating sprays of peach and lingzhi fungus,
⻦卿எ㇦㫶मᲦ卻+ )BSSJTPO )BMM卼ⶬה
which also offer wishes for long life. The finial on the lid is in the form
Ƕ.JOH $FSBNJDT JO UIF #SJUJTI .VTFVNǷ
of a lotus bud – a reference both to purity and to the Buddhist belief in
㮰 ⤔⽚ 卻ٳᘹ厍 卼ǯ᫉ംབ
rebirth through the lotus flower.
ᝳᙇ׾ज؊ࣻᾅ卿Ӭ⩢ἃড়ទৌᡜㅛ㱈⻱
A small number of other jars of this type have been published, including ワࢷ⁒㱦Ⅷ⻦卿எ㇦ % -JPO (PMETDINJEU
one which was excavated in 1980 in the Chaoyang district of Beijing, and ᏒⶬǶ-B 1PSDFMBJOF .JOHǷ㮰 ⤔⽚

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