Page 124 - Bonhams Chinese Works of Art June 2015 Hong Kong

The rare double-sided spinach green jade screen depicts on its front 碧玉玉質，含淺綠色及黑斑。插屏圓形，一面浮雕「老子出關」圖，
the episode of the great philosopher and poet Laozi, founder of 老子騎於牛背，準備出函谷關雲遊四海，遠處見尹喜拱手相迎，另一
Daoism, passing through the Hangu Pass meeting the commander 面雕仙鶴亭台圖，高山清水，仙鶴祥雲，一派仙境。插屏雙面均顯精
of the Pass, Yinxi. Various versions of the legend exist. According to 湛雕工，深淺有度，頗有意境。
one, when Yinxi was guarding the Hangu Pass in Henan Province,
he saw a purple vapour coming from the east, auguring the arrival of 相傳老子見周王朝日漸衰敗，便選擇離開故土，準備出函谷關四處雲
an important person. He cleared the paths and waited outside, soon 遊。函谷關總兵尹喜遠眺日出東方，見紫氣東來，出關相迎，見老子
seeing Laozi arriving on his mount. Yinxi invited Laozi into his place 騎青牛而來，便辭官隨老子沿秦嶺終南山神仙路西行，行至將軍山
of meditation, where the philosopher wrote the Daode jing (‘Book of 下，只見祥雲繚繞，溪流縱橫，魚翔淺底，百鳥爭鳴，泉水叮咚，猶
Dao’) and gave it to him. Laozi then remounted and disappeared into 如世外桃源。傳說《道德經》就是在此情境下應運而生。
the mist. This theme is also known as ziqi donglai (‘purple vapour
coming from the east’) and is an idiom for foretelling the coming of 參看Avery Brundage舊藏一件青玉山子，亦以「老子出關」為主體而
miraculous things to come. According to other versions Yinxi became 雕刻，見《Chinese Jades: Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century
a disciple and left with Laozi. from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco》，三藩市，2007年，
圖版360。另見國立楓丹白露宮博物館藏一件白玉雕仙鶴亭台圓形硯
A green jade boulder with the same subject matter, from the Avery 屏，著錄於M.Crick，《Chine Impériale: Splendeurs de la Dynasties
Brundage Collection, is illustrated by M.Knight, He Li and T.Tse Qing (1644-1911)》，鮑氏基金，日內瓦，2014年，頁1153，圖版
Bartholomew, Chinese Jades: Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth 68。
Century from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco,
2007, pl.360. For a related subject matter on the reverse of a
crane looking up at another in flight, see a white and russet jade
circular screen, Qianlong, from the Musée National du Château de
Fontainebleau, illustrated by M.Crick, Chine Impériale: Splendeurs de
la Dynastie Qing (1644-1911), Geneva, 2014, p.153, pl.68.

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