Page 44 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chiense Works of Art

fig. 1 A Xuande-marked bronze bell in the fig. 2 A bronze bell with a Hongzhi cyclical date corresponding to 1499,
Grand Bell Temple Museum, Beijing sold at Christie’s New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1539
எӬ ഌ㦈ཀऒ㦈ࢷ⁒㱦⻦໿ᇪ᪪㠩㦈 எՀ ǸഌᚺᅺᯎႢតჺ້ᛌमᚚㅳǹ᪪㠩㦈卿⡥⡙צ೥ᇑ卿 ჺ ᝲ ᚚ卿
ᐽ৅ ⽚
3013 Continued

The inscription on the current bell can be translated: ᫉㦈ᛓᚺ᚝ឆ㫙ᇑӬ㇦჌⡕ჺ᪪㠺ᙔ⎏׾ຽ卿Ԇӻᚺ┱㉃㖊ᛓǸ᪩উ႙
Luohan Temple; In the eighth month of the third year of Hongwu, 㛑⏍㙁ǹ卿ज㇦⯝ᚺង༈ᅡᝳ⏜ᓞ⎏㨸ؠǯ
by Imperial command made under the supervision of the Ministry of
Works ᚺߝᛞ⧲ᶴཀᙇ㞔㯄അ卿ൈ⼖႔卿բ㚡卿၀⥂卿㜁⥂✙஠㛢ᝳ卿ֿԆ᮱
ᝳ⎑།⯞ᅤ⧲ᶴཀ⎏㉃㖊卿ᇈ㫙┱໸᫉㦈᫔ྏǯᯔӻ⋁ᛞ⎋ᅒᇅ⯞卿႙
There are numerous Luohan Temples in China and it is difficult to
ascertain which one the current bell was destined for. It is interesting 㛑᫈۞ݥஇ⁒࠺⯞ᅤ㺨㪈ԋ㛢ఉ卿ᝯ⁞஠㦪㙁᫉㦈ᇷᝳࣥ⊐ǯᎱٛग⬒
to note that the bell was commissioned by the Ming court. The date of ᇖᙔ℣㉃㖊ࣿट༰ӳཊᐁӬՋ⾻⢵㲬㒝ǯ
manufacture is very early in the Hongwu reign, when the Ministry of
Works was preoccupied with large scale building works to establish ૃ㬬୨ࢦ୨ჺᏒ⛁⎏Ƕ㞒ـ⧲ᶴཀ⊺ᄻ㉃Ƿ┐㉃㖊卿㜁⥂⧲ᶴཀᙻᰪ᫋
the Ming court in Fengyang. Why was this bell specially commissioned Ӳჺ⊐▭Ⴧ㫡⯰㞒ـ卿ᘛलἃ⧲ᶴཀǯ㜁⥂ᛓ㪴ྏ㇛໫❖㖺⎏Ӭٖ⥂ఉ卿
during this time? 㘺ᄠ⧲ᶴཀἃӬ᫓टኑԜ⎏ऒࠀ卿ԋஇᝬऒ⩞⎏ཀ㩴ԠӬǯ໦⎏߿㕇ᛓ
There are no records of any Luohan Temples being commissioned by ⎊㲬ᑋ㈅㩴卿ᙻែᶴᛞ⯞ᅤ卿⯝ᝳल⎏ᰞ㪈⎊㲬ཀऱӬᛞឆ卿ज㊯ᛓԋ
the Ming Court. However, on a stone stele erected in the Jiajing 44th இדཀ⎏ං▭ǯ
year in the Luohan Temple of Hu county, it is recorded that a very old
temple outside the city wall was rebuilt in the third year of Hongwu, ऱჺ卿ᰪ᫋Ӳჺ୨ᝲ卿ប݉∎ག᪖ຽបᧃἃ☟ℳ卿Նᝲߝ୨ལ⻼㇛໫卿
and was renamed Luohan Temple. The Hu County is one of the small ᬘ᫉㦈⎏ㅳᎰᛞ㧿᚝ԻӲٖᝲǯប݉∎ᝯཆ᪖ຽགங᫉஠卿ज㇦ཌ㇛໫
counties under the jurisdiction of Xi’an, and this Luohan Temple is
⎏㞒㇬ǯձஙᚺងࠛᅤᛞཌஇ㛢⎏㚁ᖽ㯄ἃᾇው卿Ӭ⏜ߪࢦӬჺᏝ┱໸
one of the oldest temples in China. Its previous incarnation, the Baima
㛢ஙࢶ՗卿⩧᫉߿㇛໫ᝪᛓձ⩠ጳᅤ㛢⎏஠㿽卿ݦᄟ᰾എຽប᧐ࣸᓛ࡝ǯ
Zhaojue Temple (White Horse Temple of Uncovering Enlightenment)
was built in Eastern Han period, around the same time as the famous ᫉㦈⎏ㅳהᛓै⯝បᧃལ⻼㇛໫卿ᐒᎵ⯝㇛໫⁞᫢⎏ᘟᯎ஠ׅᝳ㨸卿Ꮁ
White Horse Temple in Luoyang. ٛग⬒ᔏ᳭卿ֿᛓजս┱໸⎏ᛓ卿᫉㦈ᛓ㫙ᇑӬ㇦⎏ᚺ᚝ឆ༈ᅡהர⎏
㦪㙁༰׾卿ཌᎱٛⒺ♾ᚺߝ༈ᅡ㦪ה႙⻱ࡂ⎽ᥑഌǯഌ㦈ཀऒ㦈ࢷ⁒㱦
Also in the 3rd year of Hongwu reign, the emperor appointed his
second son Zhu Shuang (1356-1395) the Prince of Qin, and he left ᝳӬ։໿ᇪ᪪⎏㦈卻ॲː卼卿ݯⷸ⁎⎏㰍ᡟ㬳჎⏟ַ卿ज؊ࣻ⩠ǯ
for the Qin capital, Xi’an, in the fifth month, three months before
the current bell was commissioned. It is also recorded that Emperor ⡥⡙צ೥ᇑ ჺ ᝲ ᚚᐽ㐈Ӭ։㠺ǸഌᚺᅺᯎႢតჺ້ᛌमᚚㅳǹ
Hongwu considered establishing the capital in Xi’an, sending the ᪪⎏㠩㦈卿ᐽ৅ ⽚卿ज㏱ᬘ㖅卻ॲ̤卼ǯ
crown prince there for two reconnaissance trips, before his decision
to stay in Nanjing in the 11th year of Hongwu. Perhaps the restoration
of the Luohan Temple and the investiture of Zhu Shuang were
related, but unfortunately we do not have any records to establish this.
Nevertheless, this bell is an important relic that shows an early example
of Ming bell made by the court. Compare the Xuande marked example
(fig. 1) now in the Grand Bell Temple Museum, Beijing, which has very
similar casting style, especially on the finial.
Compare also a bronze bell cast with a Hongzhi cyclical date
corresponding to 1499, sold at Christie’s New York, 25 September
2020, lot 1539 (fig. 2).

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