Page 142 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong
P. 142

RE-EXAMINING THE IMPERIAL SEAL ‘ZHOUJIA

               YANXI ZHI BAO’ OF THE JIAQING EMPEROR


               Guo Fuxiang









               There are only a few milestones in one’s life. For the Emperor, the
               highest ruler of the empire, his actions during those essential moments   ՞をࢦᄞⅴຠ
               invariably dictate the ensuing course of history, and artifacts associated
               with them subsequently assume great historical significance. This is Ǚݙ⁴གྷ⏒̃ഡǚ
               especially true for the study of seals of the Qing Emperors. A survey
                                                                 㒹⎼⎟
               of these seals reveals a pattern – a correlation between the recurrence
               of a certain seal inscription and the Emperor’s ideology, interests,
                                                  th
               and experiences. For the Jiaqing Emperor, the 24 year of his reign
               (1819) signified an important milestone in his life, as this was the year
               when he turned sixty-years old, completing a full jiazi cycle. The
               Jiaqing Emperor commissioned the carving of over ten seals bearing
                                                                 ՞⎏Ӭ⊂ԋ㨸㣺⎏ལ㚣㿢ᄃ᫊ǯཌᙻᝬ㵶⢴ᯎ⩢⎑Ⴝ⩧㈲卿
               the inscription Zhoujia yanxi zhi bao to commemorate this landmark
               event, including the one to be offered at Christie’s Hong Kong. I had   㨸㣺᫊㵅ԋ⎏ᏒהᏒἃᇁᇁཌ᫓टᝳ㞒ഌᆴ㮮卿⩧ங㘺Ջ㨸
               previously written about this seal when it was last offered in 2015,   㣺᫊㵅ԋᆨᎰ⎏㚃ໄক㚃⁒ԮᎰἃᙔ⁒ᘘ⻦কⒺ♾⎏㞒ԋԠ
               much of the content has been included here with addition of some   㞒ǯங᳖ջ⎑Ⴝᇙ⊇∵ࣇ⎏Ⓔ♾ԋ卿㘺᧙⎏ካᆨऱ᧙ໄஙǯ
               further information.
                                                                 㘻㈊᳖ង᫓ջ⎑Ⴝ⎏ᇙ⊇ࣇ∵卿जս⎉→⎑Ⴝᇙ⊇ࣇ∵ஙࣇ
               The present seal is carved from greenish-white jade and surmounted   ᙔ⎏㚁इӳᝳ㘺᧙Ӭٖ㇧ᇋ卿࣊ऱӬࣇᙔஙᇙ⊇ࣇ∵ԋ߅→
               by a pair of addorsed dragons. The seal face is carved with six   ⎏㯟ℯ⯝⎑Ⴝទ՞⎏ሲዏǮካ㑪Ǯ੧ൃսࣿݯ⯇㕇⎏⣌᫓༗
               characters, Zhoujia yanxi zhi bao, ‘Seal of continual joy on the sixtieth   ߏ⏟㨸卿Ԯལᛓ⯝⎑Ⴝஙׅឆ㧿⎏㞒ഌক㨸㣺❥㿽ቱቱ⏟㨸ǯ
               birthday’. The seal is consistent in size, text and calligraphic style with
                                                                 ⩧ཌᙻ᳖ջ⎏ૃጻ⎑Ⴝ⩧㈲卿ૃጻՀࢦ୨ჺ卻    卼जս㊯ᛓ
               one documented and illustrated in the Jiaqing Baosou, the Jiaqing
                                                                 ձ՞⊂ԋ⎏Ӭٖ㞒㇝❥㿽ǯ㘺Ӭჺ᫈ᛓձݪࢦ᫐卿՞⊂Ӭ⊑
               Emperor’s imperial seal catalogue—including fine details like the slight
                                                                 ຽ卿୬᫉ஙձ⎏ᓄዪӴݎᇌߴㅳԻࢦᄃᙹǸॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹ卿
               curvature of the rectangular frame, the modulation of strokes among
               the characters, and the slight hesitation at the beginnings and ends of   ߃→߅㘺Ӭ⁞໸ᛞߴཌૃጻ⎑Ⴝ⎏㞒㇝ዪ⨒ǯ㲞ᳰצ೥ᇑݩ
               the strokes. The motif and the knotting on the accompanied yellow   त࣊ཆᐽ㐈⎏Ǹॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹལᛓݯԋ⎏Ӭᙹǯ᫉ᙹǸॶ
               tassel are consistent with those found on other large Qing imperial   ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹங      ჺᝪ⣌ᐽ㐈卿⋁ᛞἃݯᖬᝳⒺ♾ཇᙔǯ
               seals.
                                                                 ᫉᪖ݻ᪖⊐צ೥ᇑనᐽ卿㞒༳᫉༾卿㞒ᨼᙔ℣卿㞒㍡ᑉᙔ卿
               The Jiaqing Emperor, originally named Yongyan, was the fifth emperor   ㈅ᇑ㨸ᙻ᫉༾⎏㞒㇝㏱㈸߿ᑉᙔႡ⣌㘚Ԡ≾㊄卿Ὅᯧݻᖬᙲ
               of the Qing dynasty who ascended the throne at the age of thirty-six.   ᙔ卿ग⬒ཆ߿㘚ᑉᙔԠԖ㇝㛑ߎ☭㢙ᙻ᫉卿ݯᇌݻ☸ڔㅚ݋卿
                      th
               In the 24 year of his reign (1819), Jiaqing turned sixty-years old. In   սἃཌ᫉༾ᝳ⯞㑪⩢᳅ݣ⑪㈛ᓽ؊ࡂ⎽ǯ
               traditional Chinese chronology, this is a significant completion of a
               cycle known as the jiazi, which symbolises an important landmark in
                                                                 ᫉༾㬪⎊ℱ㐏卿Ւ䂆㟏卿ࣇᙔἃ㪈ᙔℱ❢❨Ǹॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹ
               one’s life, and normally commands large-scale celebrations. However,
                                                                 ݪໃǯ᫉༾ங→⻦ᙻ࢈՗ᘢ༈⎏Ƕૃጻ༾⻽Ƿ卻ૃጻᇙ∵ࣇ㍆卼
               the modest Jiaqing Emperor instructed officials across the empire
                                                                 ԋᝳᚺ┱ⶬ㢙卿⣌⯝༰⁒ᬘཌ卿Ὅ㋏ᛓ㵲㞔ഌཎ卿㚍ᛓ❨ᯧ
               against this a year beforehand, he writes, ‘When I turned fifty-years
               old, I forbade officials from sending me extravagant gifts. I will turn   ׁ཭㛢⯝㊃ᝧԋ⎏㉃㖊໭ݥ⏟भǯཝݯᛓӬՋ⡿❥ൈ୨ॶ㚒
               sixty next year, which is more significant than fifty as it marks the   ᡨݤڬ☸ᝳᆄᄟকᆜᝢ卿ࣇᙔपໃ✖ࠧԠ㧿⠈⡿⊶ᝳ႞ߣ卿
               completion of a full cycle, so I would assume that the officials would   ✖ࠧ㑌✖কᘘ✖⽔ᝳ⎏↱ㅳӶ⠢卿⊶㰆⊂⓷✙卿ஙǶ༾⻽Ƿ
               want to send me more lavish gifts. However, the affairs of the state still
                                                                 ԋ⎏ࣇ㒝ӳ㛢ᝳंᛇǯ㟏ࣥទ⎏㿩ⰰ⢵⣟卿㯔㛑⎏⡠㱈ࣿ୻
               require much rectification, and I admire frugality, thus no birthday
                                                                 ໸Ꮲ⢙⎏ᙹᯧԮ⯝᳖ջഌ௛⎑Ⴝ༾∵⎏ڔᯧӬ⯎ǯ
               celebration nor any elaborate rituals will be held next year. And I
               instruct, other than regular local tributes, do not present me with any
               sumptuous furnishings. To those officials coming to the capital to send   ᫉༾⎏Ꮢᝳ⩢ૃጻ⎑Ⴝल㯰↾卿ἃ᳖ងݣ㨸ᇌ⎏✄Նջ⎑Ⴝǯ
               me good wishes, gifts such as ruyi sceptres, paintings and calligraphy   ⦏ׅᛞႡ⣌Ӳࢦݪ᫐卿⯍ૃጻՀࢦ୨ჺ卻     ჺ卼᫈ൃἃ


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