Page 70 - Christie's July 9th 2020 Hong Kong Important Chinese Works of Art

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It is extremely rare to find erotic subject-matter painted on large sized 筒瓶正面及背面均以青花繪春宮圖二幀，其正面所繪男女人物於太湖
porcelain vessels as this type of graphic decorative theme was more 假山之間，其背景故事取自湯顯祖（1550—1616）於明萬曆二十六年
often applied to smaller items such as wine cups and plaques, for
cultural subtlety and discretion. （1598）創作、萬曆四十五年（1617）刊行的《牡丹亭還魂記》中最為
知名的「驚夢」一節，其描繪杜麗娘於夢中在後花園遇柳夢梅，並與其
On the present vase, one side depicts a partially dressed couple who 至花園中「緊靠著湖山石邊」而有「溫存」之情節。今所見萬曆時期木
are reclined against ornamental garden rocks. It is highly probably that
this scene was inspired by the late Ming 17th century romantic novel 刻《牡丹亭》版畫，多描繪杜、柳二人傍立於湖石之旁，未有春宮之畫
Peony Pavilion written by Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) where the story 風，而為此題材之春宮畫作提供了無限種可能。如萬曆時期之春宮版畫
recites a dream sequence of a romantic encounter of the maiden Du 《花營錦陣》第二十圖「巫山一段雲」（圖一），即描繪一婦人憑藉太
Liniang with the young scholar Liu Mengmei in a garden. This imagery 湖石之孔洞窺探旁鄰湖石男女之事，而此一窺探之第三人視角，亦為我
was probably taken from an erotic woodblock print album from the
Wanli period known as Huaying Jinzhen. From this version, one folio of 們解讀拍品圖畫，揭示了另一種視覺角度。
the woodblock print illustrates a lady peering through the open spaces 此外，成書於順治十四年（1657），著名清代文學家李漁（1611-1680）
formed by ornamental rocks, looking curiously at a couple engaged in
amorous acts (fig. 1). 所作豔情小說《肉蒲團》第三回「道學翁錯配風流婿·端莊女移情薄情
郎」文中，有男主角未央生從書鋪中購得趙孟頫所繪名為「漢宮遺照」
The other scene painted on the vase portrays a naked couple supine 之春宮圖冊頁十二幅，以誘導其夫人玉香。該春宮冊頁第一幅所繪即與
on a mat in a garden setting. This depiction is likely to be have been
derived from the well-known erotic novel Rou Pu Tuan, ‘The Prayer Mat 拍品正面圖案相若，皆以太湖石假山為道具，並有題跋名曰「縱蝶尋芳
of Flesh’, written by the early Qing novelist Li Yu (1611-1680). In chapter 之勢」；第二幅題跋「教蜂釀蜜之勢」，其文字內容亦和拍品背面人物
3, the protagonist Weiyang Sheng acquired an erotic album in order to 動作主旨相合，則拍品圖案與李漁小說內容巧合，概因皆若有本之緣故。
seduce his conservative wife. In the novel, the author’s description of 而恰在這一回小說文字中，李漁接下來寫道玉香被保留腳上褶褲不脫，
the erotic scene illustrated on the second folio of the woodblock print
album bears close resemblance to the scene drawn on the vase. 系因若無褶褲罩住三寸金蓮，則「就是一朵無葉之花，不耐看了」。此
一細節，於拍品正面所繪圖案，亦有交代。另外，北京大學圖書館所藏
It is interesting to note that the ladies portrayed on the present vase, 明崇禎時期《新刻繡像批評金瓶梅》第八回插圖版刻，亦有類似褶褲之
whether they are completely or partially naked, are shown wearing their
shoes and socks. In one of the chapters in the Rou Pu Tuan, Weiyang 圖像。而該書插圖有活躍於天啟、崇禎年間木刻名手諸如劉應祖、劉啟
Sheng intentionally wanted his wife’s shoes to be worn during their 先、黃子立、黃汝耀等姓名，為明代晚期安徽新安地區版刻之佳作。而
intimate interlude so as to maintain an element of mystery. The present 新安徽派版畫，亦多次以稿本的形式，成為明末清初景德鎮青花瓷器裝
exceptional vase is a rare representation of an otherwise discreet, 飾的主題圖案。春宮題材，因其主題為封建禮教所不容，故存世極罕。
physically intimate, culture in ancient China in which the distinct
fantasy for small feet is well reflected in the details. 如《肉蒲團》一書，出版後即屢遭禁毀。1705 年傳入日本，現今最完整
的抄本存於日本東京大學。而本拍品因其材質、體量，其保存較書籍更
為不易，今保存完好，是更為難得，且公私著錄未見同類青花春宮大尺
寸人物繪畫，可補充清代早期景德鎮青花瓷繪藝術之不足，為極重要之
中國明清瓷器之藏品。

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