Page 58 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chiense Works of Art

Gongqinwang (Prince Kung), indicating that was once in 㪈⡠ᙹࣇǸ⯝ক᭔㙚ǹকӬ៦㩽⡠ᙹࣇǸዪ㬱൘౑ᝯǹ卿
the collection of Prince Kung. This painting was recorded ႚڬἃ㪈ᙔ㧩ᙹࣇǸᱳ✖ڮٿᄃ㧿ǹǯ඼⧲᧦᫈ӳᙹ卿
to be in the collection of Li Yizhao, a businessman during ᝳᶴǮ⻦ǮᶕǮⷡ୨㵲ᙔ㐫卿ᬔ♎ᙔໃԠᇌம㟊ᝳǸԳǹ
the Japanese occupation, however, no further information
relating to Li has been uncovered. It is evident, nevertheless, ໃ஋ࣇকǸ㪏ǹໃᙹࣇपӬ៦ǯ⊺㬷ႚӴ㈍㟥ᝳǸቯ
that the current sal tree painting was passed down from ㇼℳǹបᙔࣇӬ៦卿㊯ᚺ໦ங᳖ջᝪᘘ⻦ᙻቯℳᄙԋ卿
the Imperial collection to Prince Kung, and later came to
ᗌ㏱ᙠ㰆▔卿ទ৅ஙᚚទؖⵖᛞឆᏛ႙᥉ഌਦリԖឪ
private hands in the Republic period, and onward to Japan
⨒ᑋ᭄⯠⻦ǯ⏖߿Ԇត᠝ߪ᫉՞⎏⏟㨸㏱㈸卿ֿ㰆὞
in the 30s or 40s.
᫉։඼⧲᧦எ᫓⣌㖴㖿卿࣊⊐⎑།ᘘ⻦ߪℳᄙᘘ⻦卿
The inscription is followed by a two-line postscript which
can be translated: ‘In early 11th month of Qianlong gengzi ഌ⯎ஙᛮ᳖ᭆஇᛞ᱁ݣ☆՞ᘘ⻦卿Ӳࢦ⯍୨ࢦჺջ᱁
year, Imperial painting of longevity wish to sage-monk ഔߪᚚទǯ
Panchen, together with an ode.’
㐫㈲ᝬᇌݦリ㯪㒉ᝠ厍ǸԳ㪏ᄗຽօސӳᱏᇙ✖༵೰
The ode can be translated:
ↄ◲⪛ۿԆ㍵ǹǯ㐫ᙔൈӴ厍
Sal tree from the land of Brahmans, its leaves regenerate daily,
Like the great toon tree in mythology, enjoying limitless longevity. ᢹఓ඼⧲卿᛻᚛Ւ㍯卿⊂ऱഌᤞ卿ݯ೰Ὅ㞔ǯ
Visvabhu Buddha, the third of the Seven Past Buddhas,
Attained enlightenment under this tree, his heart showing the way. ᬚ⯣᱙ד卿ӮדԠӲ卿᧦Ӵᇑ㙣卿ᇵಗ▔ࣻǯ
It is also said that Damo, meditating under the tree, ᬚ⯣᱙דچᝠ卿߿ಗⲋὍᇵՔὍǯ
Pointing straight to transmission by heart, the Six Paramita.
Քᝠߝ▭卿ـ㙣᧦Ӵ卿⏜ᑨᇵ۔卿࣊ݪ᯳ⲋǯ
The sage monk arrives from the West, to propagate the Yellow Sect.
⪛ۿ㇛׹卿໿ᔆ㿩ᘰ卿ቲٿ೰㗪卿ጮᚚ᛿ᾅǯ
It happens to be his birthday, the clear sun shines universally.
With this painting of a spiritual tree, to increase his longevity, ༵᫉㬦ᡜ卿⊇ᅠ㙠❏卿Ӯ⶟⡰ᙆ卿ࢨ䁬ᝩルǯ
The seven leaflets proliferating, likes his years multiplying. ᯵ᚚᯧᝯ卿⳸ᬚ፽㕇卿 㬳Ӭ㬳Հ卿ࢇㄴὍ௬ǯ
On the day of nirvana, the Buddha’s earthly body was cremated,
He is no different from the Buddha, in his ability to achieve the ㉼ᙔ⎏㑌㲛Ӭ❥Ǹᢹఓ඼⧲卿᛻᚛Ւ㍯卿⊂ऱഌᤞ卿
limitlessness.
ݯ೰Ὅ㞔ǹ卿ཆ඼⧲᧦ᬘ㩠ᙻᤞ᧦ ᐹӭ㊥厍$FESFMB
The beginning of the poem compares the sal tree to dachun TJOFOTJT ռᎱٛዏߪⴃຽǶ㘱㙨㙚ǷǸӳऒᝳഌᤞ⩢卿
(great toon tree, Cedrela sinensis), a tree mentioned in սݨࢨ᫐ἃᛌ卿ݨࢨ᫐ἃ☌ǹ卿ங᫉ヿ▔Ǹ㧩೰ǹǸ᭦
Zhuangzi’s Xiaoyaoyou:
ᛌǹԠዪࢦߎᚺ㰆ǯԳ㪏ႽἃԠ▴೰⎏ཌ㎜ᛓݪӽↄ
‘There was once a great toon tree in ancient times, its spring
lasted 8000 years, and its autumn lasted 8000 years’. ◲卿࣊Ǹ⪛ۿ㇛׹卿໿ᔆ㿩ᘰ卿ቲٿ೰㗪卿ጮᚚ᛿ᾅǹǯ
The connotations to ‘longevity’ and ‘evergreen’ are ᫉㐫㈲Ԯ㇦㢙ᙻǶ᳖㵶໵ᇙㅳᙔǷՀ㫀卿࣍୨୨卿㯪
unmissable – and the Emperor was referring to the Panchen
Lama, ‘the sage-monk arrives from the West, to propagate ᝠǸ༵඼⧲᧦೰ↄ◲੕ૐԆἃ㐫㈲ǹ卿ㅚᝳᇌ㉃卿ᇌ
the Yellow Sect; it happens to be his birthday, the clear sun ㉃Ӷ㇦ᙻ⊺ԋǯᇌ㉃ཌᙻ᫉⊺⎏⤏㑌ᝳ㊄⡿㊯ᚺǯ
shines universally.’
Գ㪏Ⴝᓽߪ厍ᛏ഍Ꮁἃ඼⧲᧦⎏⊺༵ԻӬ㲛㐫㈲卿ᙔ
This ode was also recorded in the Qinggaozong yuzhi wen
(Compilation of compositions by Gaozong Emperor), titled ԋ٨⊇Ի৿ջᝧᯧ།ឪ㚙卻 厀 ჺ卼Ƕ඼⧲᧦㉃Ƿ
‘Painting a sal tree for Panchen Lama’s birthday and composing ⎏㉼ओǸ᯵ᚚᯧᝯ卿ⳍᬚ፽㕇ǹ卻࣊ᑨӳ㢙㐫㈲ٜᙇ
an ode’, where an epilogue was added which details the ✄ӲǮ୨Հओ卼卿⚇὞ዏߪǸⳍᬚǹՀໃᑨ⎏ᛓ㵶ۿ
background for the painting. Qianlong emperor wrote:
ࣸӽᇌ⊇㲞ᙠỉࢇ⎏ౚᜀ卿⊇ஙↄ◲▴೰㐫ԋԆӶभ
“Yesterday I composed an ode to a sal tree painting,
㙴ǯֿᛓᎱ㖿ሗࣽዏ卿ݎᝳד⎏⳸ᬚ卿὞ᇌᏝᝳձ፽
in which I quoted the poem of Tang calligrapher Li
Yong (678-674), who wrote in On Sal Tree – on the ࢇ㖿ӽߪ՞㧿ǯↄ◲੕ૐᛓ㇛⻦⎏㖿ӽ᰻ד卿ձទ㕇
day of nirvana, the Buddha’s body was cremated – ལᛓᇖᬚ⳸ԋ׹⎏㖿ӽࢇ㕇卿गᝳձ⎏ᯧ㕇ᛓ᭦ቒӶ
and I suddenly realised it was not suitable to talk
ᵨ⎏ǯᙻᛓ᮱ᝳـᘛ㐫㈲卿᮱㙞ᄃ഍卿ݪӽↄ◲⚇὞
about cremation in a poem intended for Panchen’s
birthday. But then I thought, without the cremation of ஋༓卿ַԢދދԠԋᝳ㮽݌卿⛋ㄴԳ㪏ႽӬ㊥Ꮀ㍲卿
the Buddha, there would not be the reincarnation of ᎰལԻӬᬀ᫓टᓈᘢǯ
Panchen. Panchen is a reincarnated of the living Buddha,
and he is here reincarnated because of the cremation. ⢙भݪӽↄ◲㙊՗⎏टᙠ卿Ꮁٛഌ⯎जսᢷ↚ᇙ✖඼

56