Page 25 - Taber Family Tianquiping Vase Christies Hong Kong May 2018

fig. 4 A doucai meiping, Yongzheng mark and period (1723-1735)
Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
圖四 清雍正 鬥彩花卉紋梅瓶
北京故宮博物院藏品

The choice of decorative motifs on the current vase are rare on 此瓶選用的紋飾題材，在乾隆鬥彩瓷中殊不尋常。器
Qianlong doucai porcelains. The body of the vase is decorated with 身繪細膩的五彩蓮紋，間以暗八仙紋，各繫紅藍交替
a delicate lotus scroll with multicoloured blossoms and punctuated
with the Eight Daoist Emblems tied alternately with red and blue 的綬帶。「暗八仙」為道教傳說中八仙的護身法寶：
ribbons. The Eight Daoist Emblems are the attributes of the Eight 漢鍾離執扇，李鐵拐身攜葫蘆（內有靈丹妙藥）、手
Daoist Immortals. The fan belongs to Han Zhongli, the gourd
(which contains magic potions) and iron crutch belongs to Li 扶鐵拐，張果老持竹編魚鼓和鐵鼓棍，何仙姑（八仙
Tieguai, the bamboo drum and metal drum sticks belong to Zhang 中唯一的女性，相傳為護佑主婦之神）挽蓮花或笊篱，
Guolao, a lotus or bamboo sieve belong to He Xiangu - the only
female member of the group, who is regarded as the patron saint of 藍采和提盛滿鮮花或蟠桃的竹籃，呂洞賓手揮寶劍或
housewives, a basket of flowers or peaches belong to Lan Caihe, the 拂塵，曹國舅手持笏板，而韓湘子則手執橫笛。八仙
sword and fly whisk belong to Lu Dongbin, the pair of castanets 各攜法寶的形象肇始於元代（公元 1279 至 1368 年），
belong Cao Guojiu, and the flute belongs to Han Xiangzi. While
these attributes were seen accompanying the Eight Immortals from 但借物擬人的暗八仙則要到清代始大行其道，箇中蘊
the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), it was only in the Qing dynasty that 含的吉祥寓意與其代表的八仙不遑多讓。暗八仙成為
the attributes alone became a popular motif, imbued with the same
auspicious wishes as the immortals to whom they belonged. It 獨立的瓷器紋飾，應始自雍正年間。康雍乾祖孫三人
seems that the Daoist Emblems’ first appearance alone on porcelains 皆篤信佛教，但此例乾隆御瓷的道教象徵無比祥瑞，
was in the Yongzheng reign. While the Qianlong Emperor, like 所以渾無突兀之感。
his father and grandfather, was a devout Buddhist, the inclusion
of Daoist symbols on an imperial vase would have been entirely
appropriate in view of their auspicious message. 瓶頸飾懸磬與綬帶，與雙魚、綬帶交替出現，其下襯
倒掛蝙蝠。磬亦稱編磬，多作「L」形，狀若木工用的
On the neck suspended, beribboned, qing chiming stones alternate
with suspended, beribboned, twin fish, with downward facing 丁字尺，發源於新石器時代。每磬頂端用鉤懸之，以
bats below. The chiming stone, also known as a lithophone, and 錘擊之成樂。清宮曾特製多套一式十二枚的玉磬，懸
called a 磬 qing in Chinese, is generally L-shaped, like a carpenter’s
square and can be traced back to the Neolithic period. It is 於架上，在慶典中敲擊作樂。磬是常見的瓷器紋飾，

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