Page 59 - 2020 Nov 30 Christie's Hong Kong Important Chiense Works of Art

Only his dharmakaya (truth body) is
never destroyed”.

Summarising from historical documents
on 6th Panchen’s trip to Beijing, we can
deduce the chronological order of events
on the making of the sal tree painting.
After Qianlong Emperor celebrated his
birthday in the Summer Palace in Chengde
in 1780, the Panchen Lama accompanied
him back to Beijing. Qianlong remembered
that Panchen’s 42nd birthday was
approaching (11th day of 11th month),
so he commissioned the sal tree painting
in anticipation, and composed the ode.
Unfortunately, before the painting could be
presented, Panchan Lama passed away on
the 2nd day of the 11th month.
According to the Records, on the 14th day
of the 10th month, the Imperial Office
of Fulfilment which was in charge of
the making of imperial paintings in the
palace, the Ruyiguan, already completed
the framing of the original version of
the sal tree painting on rice paper, so the
Qianlong Emperor probably finished the
painting and the ode in the beginning of
the 10th month, and the carved-ink version
was completed around the 5th day of 11th
fig. 1 Collection of the Tibet Museum fig. 2 Collection of the Prague National
month. Thereafter, this painting became an எӬ ㇛⻦ࢷ⁒㩴⻦৅ Gallery
important memento commemorating the எՀ Ⴋᐹᡟஇ⛁⧻ワ㱦⻦৅
6th Panchen Lama, and the Emperor had it
⧲᧦⎏⤏㑌ൈӴ卿Գ㪏Ⴝஙᐂᇪ㚈᜜ྒྷⴃጻ▴໭ձ⎏
reproduced on numerous occasions.
ⶃ೰Ԡᇌ卿ࣽ㍯ↄ◲ഌჇ㪪ᇌ׹ߪ࢈՗ǯԳ㪏Ⴝዏߪ
There appear to be three types of sal tree paintings in the
ↄ◲ഌჇ⎏୨ࢦՀ᫐⊂ᚚ卻ࢦӬᝲࢦӬᚚ卼ཆ⯍卿ᙻ
Qianlong period: the carved-ink; the carved-ink with
cinnabar infill; and the carved-ink with gold infill. For ᛓᓽ߿⊺Ի඼⧲᧦ԆἃԠᖬ༵㐫㈲卿Ӷᙠតࣿཆ೰◶
example, the one in the Tibet Museum (fig. 1) and the one 㘨߅卿ↄ◲ഌჇᙻࢦӬᝲߝՀᚚ⚇὞஋༓ǯ
in the Palace Museum are both carved-ink (decoration
left blank); while the one in the Prague National Gallery ᡜᗌ᳖༈ݤ࡞ᄙ᰻㈷ᨯ卻Ӵᙔ➯♑Ǹ᰻㈷ᨯǹ卼⎏㉃㖊卿
(vm.158) (fig. 2), the one sold in China Guardian in 2000, Գ㪏୨ࢦՆჺࢦᝲࢦ୨ᚚൈዪ㱦Ⴁ⣌ഠ᚜ㅛㅧ໿⡮⥾
and the current example are all carved-ink with gold infill.
No examples of carved-ink with cinnabar infill have been ⊺⎏඼⧲᧦எ卿ज㇦Գ㪏Ⴝഌ⯎ஙࢦᝲߝႚठ໭ᎰԻ
found. Only the Tibet Museum example and the current ᫉எক㐫㈲ǯഌ⯎ஙࢦӬᝲߝՆᚚԠ߿໭ᎰԻಳߴ඼
painting retain the original Qianlong period border. The ⧲᧦எǯ᫉ᇌ卿඼⧲᧦ᎰἃԳ㪏Ⴝ⡕ሗݪӽↄ◲⎏㞒
carved-ink technique can also be found on other Qianlong
period works such as the set of paintings of Seven Buddhas, ㇝ᙔ⁒Ӭݻㅳהǯ
and the Palden Lhamo thangka edited by the preceptor
Changkya. Գ㪏ᛞឆㅳה⎏඼⧲᧦எݬᝳӲ♎ᆨᅴ卿࣊ಳߴǮಳ
ߴಃបকಳߴಃ㞖Ӳ♎卿ཨ༿ഌཎ⏟⋁ǯᬘൈ厍㇛⻦
On the 5th day of the 11th month of Qianlong 45th year,
the Emperor decreed to have court painter Yang Dazhang ࢷ⁒㱦Ꮢ⻦⎏Ӭზ卻ॲː卼কᘢ༈ࢷ⁒㩴ᝬ㘆ཿ߅
to ‘emulate the original painting and its texture’ to paint 10 ⎏Ӭზ மᛓಳߴ⎏卿ᒵݐݬকஇႫᐹᡟஇ⛁⧻ワ㱦
copies of carved-ink paintings, ‘where there are white leaves,
卻1SBHVF /BUJPOBM (BMMFSZ卼Ռᰲ⻱ワ㛑卻⻦৅⽚ 7N
use yellow gold, with the stalks in ink; where there are red
leaves, use red gold, with the stalks in white; the trunk is to 卼卻ॲ̤卼Ǯ ჺૃᇪᐽ㐈⎏Ӭზսࣿទ৅மἃ
be filled in red gold; the rocks textured by yellow gold; and ಳߴಃ㞖⎏卿⏖߿ಳߴಃប⎏ה৅བត㇦ߪ卿ݯԋग

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