Page 297 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art, Hong Kong Dec 3 2021

and the poem emphasizes the wish that rainfall could soon be upon
them. This is a poem composed at Fuchun Hall in the spring of the
second year of Jiaqing (1797), where the hope for rain was the pre-
eminent concern. Looking at Emperor Jiaqing’s poems on Fuchun
Hall, we can see that they were all written in the spring. Somewhere
in the poems, lines such as “hoping for rain and blaming myself” or
“rejoicing at the rain” would appear. A coincidence? If we turn our
attention back to inscriptions of the three-seal set, we will find that
there is indeed a high degree of congruence between the concerns
felt by Emperor Jiaqing during his visits to Fuchun Hall and the
content conveyed by the inscriptions on the seals.
Si shi zhi shi references the Siqi Diaoshen Dalun (The art of life
through the four seasons) chapter in the classical texts of traditional
Chinese medicine Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow
Emperor): “guyin yangsi shizhewan wuzhizhong shiyesi shengzhibenye;
nizhizezai haishengcongzhizekejibu qishiweide dao” (The four seasons
of yin and yang are the beginning of all things and the origin of life
and death. If you go against it, you will have disaster, but if you go Portrait of The Jiaqing Emperor,
along with it, you will not have severe illness). The text discussed Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
嘉慶皇帝肖像，國立故宮博物院藏品
how people should follow the different characteristics of the four
seasons to regulate their spiritual and emotional well-being in
order to prevent disease. Si shi refers to the four seasons, thus si shi 是講人們要順應一年四季的不同特點，調攝精神情志，以達
zhi shi is the beginning of the four seasons refers to spring. On 到治未病的目的。這裡的四時，即指春夏秋冬四季，而“四
the other hand, wan wu yi jia (everything is nourished) comes from 時之始”即是春的同指。“萬物以嘉”典出中國第一部辭
the Shi Tian (Heaven) chapter of the first Chinese dictionary Erya: 書的《爾雅》“釋天”篇：“甘雨時降，萬物以嘉，謂之醴
“ganyushijiang, wanwuyijia, weizhiliquan” which means that good rain 泉”。講好雨應時而降，萬物得以滋潤，是謂及時之雨，是
falls at the right time so that everything can be nourished...timely 吉祥之事。在古代農業社會，雨水充足則作物生長茂盛，意
rain is auspicious. In ancient agricultural societies, abundant rainfall 味著豐收有望，衣食富足。“萬物以嘉”正是通過雨水對作
meant flourishing crops, translating to a bumper harvest and ample 物的重要作用表達出對春雨的祈盼，對豐餘富足的嚮往，從
food and clothing. It is through the imperative role of rainfall for 而將“富”字的蘊含間接地表達了出來。如此，此組“富春
crops that wan wu yi jia expresses the prayer for spring rain and the 樓”組璽中的兩方壓腳章中的成語“萬物以嘉”和“四時之
yearning for abundance and prosperity, hinting at the meaning of 始”分別對應了引首章“富春樓”中的“富”字和“春”字，
the word fu (abundant). As such, the idiomatic phrases wan wu yi jia 正是對富春樓名稱的詮釋。而這與嘉慶皇帝有關富春樓禦制
and si shi zhi shi on the yajiao seals respectively correspond to the fu 詩中對春雨的關注和期盼恰好形成了相互的對應關係，使我
(abundant) and chun (spring) in the fuchunlou yinshou seal, a befitting 們很容易地理解嘉慶皇帝選取這些印文刻製成組璽的內在邏
interpretation of its name. This echoes the hope and expectation for 輯關係。這樣，我們也就很容易地理解了此方“四時之始”
spring rain in Emperor Jiaqing’ imperial poems about the Fuchun 璽的刻制緣由以及它和印主嘉慶皇帝的關係。
Hall, and elucidates the logic of his selection of these inscriptions
for the seals. In this way, we can easily understand the reason for 通過上述可知，此方“四時之始”璽是嘉慶皇帝御用“富春
the inscription of the si shi zhi shi seal and its relationship with the 樓”組璽中的一方，是專門為富春樓製作的。這種組璽一般
seal’s owner, Emperor Jiaqing. It can thus be concluded the present 存放於相應的宮殿中，雖然鈐蓋使用的幾率不是很高，但卻
si shi zhi shi seal is a part of the three-seal set of Emperor Jiaqing 成為相應宮殿的重要象徵物，具有相當的歷史、藝術和文化
specially associated with the Fuchun Hall. This kind of seal possesses 價值。
considerable historical, artistic and cultural value.

1 Guo Fuxiang, Ming Qing dihou xiyin [The Seals of Ming and Qing Dynasty Emperors and
Empresses], p. 169, Beijing: International Culture Publishing Corporation, 2003. 1 郭福祥：《明清帝後璽印》頁169。北京：國際文化出版公司，2003年。
2 [Qing] Hongli: Yuzhi shi san ji (Third Anthology of Imperial Poetry), Vol. 2, Ti fuchunlou. 2 [清]弘歷：《御制詩三集》卷2，「題富春樓」。
3 [Qing] Hongli: Yuzhi shi wu ji (Fifth Anthology of Imperial Poetry), Vol. 44, Fuchunlou youhui. 3 [清]弘歷：《御制詩五集》卷44，「富春樓有會」。
4 [Qing] Hongli: Yuzhi shi wu ji (Fifth Anthology of Imperial Poetry), Vol. 44, Ti fuchunlou. 4 [清]弘歷：《御制詩五集》卷86，「題富春樓」。
5 [Qing] Yongyan: Yuzhi shi chu ji (First Anthology of Imperial Poetry), Vol. 12, Fuchunlou. 5 [清]顒琰：《御制詩初集》卷12，「富春樓」。
6 [Qing] Yongyan: Yuzhi shi chu ji (First Anthology of Imperial Poetry), Vol. 10 Fuchunlou chunwang. 6 [清]顒琰：《御制詩初集》卷10，「富春樓春望」。

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