Page 102 - Christie's Hong Kong May 31, 2017 Important Chinese Ceramics and Art

3037 Continued

As wannianqing, Rohdea japonica, literally means ‘verdant over ten-
thousand years’, and the character qing is a synonym with the character
for purity, it became a symbol of everlasting rule and political purity,
and a subject matter suitable for imperial works of art, as evidenced by
an album leaf (fig. 3) painted by court painter Shen Huan (active 18th
to early 19th century), which may have been the source of inspiration
for the current scroll.

A very similar kesi handscroll (fig. 4) is in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
which is woven with an additional signature of Wu Yuan (d. 1786),
a minister of the Qianlong period, followed by two woven red seals
reading Wu Yuan, and jingshu, ‘respectfully inscribed’.

盆景藝術的發展於清代達到了巔峰，花木盆栽成為了宮廷中不可或缺的
重要擺設。萬年青諧音「萬年清」，與筒形盆缽為組合，傳達出一統萬
年、政治清明的吉祥寓意。清宮內廷畫家沈煥（活動於十八至十九世紀
初） 於《畫仙葩清供冊》（圖三）中即曾繪製此題材，其設色、線條與
此卷多有相似之處，可能即為其範本。

北京故宮博物院藏有一幅題材相同的緙絲詩卷（圖四），緙款「臣吳垣
敬書」，及「臣垣」、「敬書」印。吳垣（?-1786）為乾隆朝官吏，曾
任廣西巡撫、湖北巡撫等職。

fig. 2 The National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei fig. 3 The National Palace Museum Collection, Taipei
圖二 國立故宮博物院藏品 圖三 國立故宮博物院藏品

fig. 2
圖二

fig. 4 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
圖四 北京故宮博物院藏品

100