Page 57 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chiense Works of Art
P. 57

UNIVERSAL LIGHT FROM A WESTERN SAGE:

               NOTES ON A GOLD SAL TREE PAINTING


               Luo Wenhua






               In the 45th year of Qianlong period (1780), the sixth   ⡾Ӣ⾾Ϝ䢲ᄑᑽᓢᵨ䣀
               Panchen Lama attended the emperor’s 70th birthday
               celebration in Beijing. The Panchen Lama's eastern tour  ખח੦㕹ட⟕៉ॱ⡃
               was an event of national importance and from the moment   ⟕ᐷ⬹
               the decision was made, there were many interactions
               between the two heads of states and their ministers, and later  ᐅ೫ښḵ㡗⊝②޻
               numerous gifts were exchanged. This sal (sala in Sanskrit)
               tree painting is one of the important artefacts that marked
               this historical event.
                                                                 Գ㪏୨ࢦՆჺ卻     ჺ卼卿᫈ٿԳ㪏ႽӮࢦⶃ೰卿ݪ
               This sal tree painting is executed using the carved-ink   ӽↄ◲ഌჇӶ㙭ⶃ㞑㙊՗ἃݯ▴೰ǯↄ◲ែリᛓ᳖ង
               technique whereby ink of the indigo paper is cut away and   ⎏㞒㇝㕘இഌԿԠӬ卿⯇ᇖↄ◲Ӭリᮛ໸׹՗Ԡᛞ㑌卿
               infilled with gold paint. It is a hanging scroll framed in blue-
               ground brocade, consistent with other Buddhist works made  ा⯀Ԡ㧿Մ࡚㯟⥝卿ӶᙷՄ㐩◶⁒ǯ㘺։඼⧲᧦எལ
               in the Palace workshop. Measuring 218 cm. high and 101   ᛓ㇦㌴㘺ٖ᫓टԿ։⎏㞒㇝ᙔ⁒ԠӬǯ
               cm. wide, it depicts a sal tree growing between two rocks,
               surrounded by flowering plants. The tree has a gnarled trunk   ඼⧲᧦எ卿ಳߴಃ㞖卿⛁㕻卿ս⻤஠⥫㞖⤋ἃㅧ㚒卿
               splitting into two branches bearing verdant leaves. The trunk   ݰᝳ༈ᅡ⻦۔דᘰ⎏ㅛㅧ⁞㿽ǯ⥍     㞕⟬卿ᨕ
               and branches are infilled with gold paint, and the leaves
               are either painted in outlines only or infilled. The painting  㞕⟬卿⊺㬷ヿ→ԻӬᣩ඼⧲᧦ᇖݦ౩څྒྷ⒢㧿⊂߅卿
               style of the rocks has Chinese influences. Professor Patricia   ॶஉᝳ׆Ⳟক㫓Ɽǯ᧦ჾ⏎⽨卿ӳߎݦ៨卿ӳ៨᧦⶟
               Berger interprets the two rocks – one large and one small   ⥝ⲧǯ៨কჾᙼᆭ卿⶟Ꮅᙼᆭ卿Ꮅۣࡷࡘ㖥ᅃ卿սಫ
               – as symbolising the Buddha and his disciple the Panchen
               Lama in conversation, an interesting reading that imbues the   ࠼⛁㵲ᘤ៧卿㖥ᅃ⤇࣡㞒卿⩧ݦ㚒⠢⤤⎏څྒྷ⒢ヿ→
               painting with further connotations.               Իᶴ஠۔⢴ǯ⎊⇧㬃卻1BUSJDJB #FSHFS卼ᘰᓄཆݯ㈛㍡ἃ
               The sal tree (shorea robusta) in India is a symbol intimately   ݦ౩څྒྷ⒢卿Ӭ౩ഌ卿Ӭ౩☸ཎ卿Ǹशݤᆜᝢ卿ལ۬
               associated with Buddhism. It represents the forests in which  㞐㘔⁋ཪדকձங۔ᯧᅾຽↄ◲㯫‰ᇪཪ᫈ஙՒ㋄Ӭ
               the Buddha entered parinirvana, one of the eight holy places
                                                                 ᧙ǹ卿㐋ԽԻᝤ㎒༛⎏㈛㍡ݤ᲎ǯ
               in Buddhism. Additionally, one of the Buddhas of the past,
               the Visvabhu Buddha, also attained enlightenment under
                                                                 ࣇᄟ඼⧲᧦卻ᐹӭ㊥厍4IPSFB  SPCVTUB卼ᛓדᘰዪঀࢦ
               a sal tree. The sal tree is also known as the ‘seven-leaf tree’,
               since its leaves are digitate with seven leaflets. However, only   ߎ㎒༛⎏㎜ᇨ⁒ǯדᘰ۔⢴ԋ卿඼⧲᧦ᜡᑨᑈླྀ㚣இ
               two upper leaves on the current painting are depicted with  卻,VTJOBHBSB卼⎏඼⧲᧦៣卿୬ד㩜ங඼⧲᧦៣ԋᱯᦏ
               seven leaflets, while others have more.
                                                                 ⩧ⶬल卿ྏד⎏ݨഌ⪛㒝ԠӬǯ㐇ࡄדԠӬ⎏ᬚ⯣᱙
               There is a seal impression Guxitianzi zhi bao (Treasure of  ד卻7JTWBCIV卼卿࣊㙞ࣸӮדԋ⎏✄ӲדԮᛓங඼⧲᧦
               the Son of Heaven at seventy) in-between the branches.   ӴᎰ㙣ǯ඼⧲᧦Ԯ♑ἃ㫐᧦卿Ꮢս⊺ԋ⎏඼⧲᧦ᝳߎ
               This seal was commissioned especially for the emperor’s
               70th year birthday. On the right side of the painting there   ឥǯࢶងս׹卿඼⧲᧦Ԯᝪㄴ♑ἃӮ⶟᧦卿⶟ൈ᢬ᆨ卿
               are two seals yu heqi you (Extending like harmonious qi) and  ᬔិӮ‷ǯ⊺ԋ᧦⶟Ꮀិ卿गᝳӳᙹݦិἃӮ⶟卿ݯ
               yijing miao kanhui (Quietude makes the mystery fathomable).
                                                                 㱛पិ⶟ᙇഅ㑖㙞Ӯ⶟卿㰆὞᮱ᝳ㙾ᇠ۔⢴எ۬ໝ⎏
               On the left side there is a rectangular seal shebi ouzhi jixian
               (Dabbling in brushwork at occasional leisure). Above the   ᴽߺǯ
               sal tree there are inscriptions in Chinese, Tibetan, Manchu
                                                                 ங᧦៨ᨕᙢԠ㧿卿ᝳӬ៦㩽ᙔᙹࣇǸऒ☮഍ຽԠ༾ǹǯ
               and Mongolian, each followed by a circular seal Qian and
               a square seal Long. At the lower left corner there is a seal  ᫉ࣇཇἃ▴㏫㵶໵Ӯࢦ᫐⊂ᚚ⩧ㅳǯ⊺㬷ठڬᝳӬ៦


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