Page 143 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong
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         will be accepted, in return, satins and nourishments will be rewarded.’    ݪࢦഌ೰ǯ՞⊂Ӭ⊑ຽ卿ᑪᾅԋஇ՞⎏۔⢴卿㘺ᛓ՞⊂ԋӬٖ
         The Jiaqing Emperor only did two things to commemorate his   ⏟⋁㞒㇝⎏ჺ֍卿ᾅ׾፽㊃⯟リ⏇ഌ⎏ጻݱǯֿ᫓׹࡞༰❥ܝ
         sixtieth-year birthday. First, he chose Zhoujia yanxi zhi bao as the
                                                           ⎏ૃጻ⎑ႽஙԠ߿Ӭჺ؝㘻㙞ݤ㨌۔㋢प஠໶৘㊯厍Ǹ᝾Ն᚞
         inscription for a group of special commissioned seals. According to
                                                           ㊟㗪卿ᝪݎឆ㩥᚜卿Ӷޢप␰ᖧ㙊℣㞖ⅸ⅊ൃ✙⁒ǯ׹ჺἃ᝾
         the Baosou, more than ten seals in varying sizes and materials bearing
                                                           ݪ᚞᫈㊟卿㊃␰ᖧ✙ካᬂ▴ે卿୬᝾೰⎈ॶ⊑卿ࣽ㬳Ն᚞जᬘ卿
         this inscription were carved, which the Jiaqing Emperor used the most
         frequently out of all his seals. Second, on the New Year’s Day following   Ꮅ᪞࠼ዪಫⵖ卿⊇ᐓሔቺǯዂᛓऴᯎត᳇卿ᭆزត᫈卿ᙹᐦዺ
         his sixtieth-birthday, the Emperor invited court officials and Hanlin   ԠӶᜓǯᯔ᝾ᘹ࿶❥ܝ卿߅ᙻទሻ卿׹ჺԆӶ⯟リጻݱ⥝ܔǯ
         scholars to a tea gathering at the Palace of Double Glory, where the   ⶬ㘻㋢प⏥␰ᖧ卿㩶፽㙊க㏐խᇠ׾ۄ㙊ം卿Ꮢᝳ㞖ⅸℱ଍㪀
         Emperor and his guests composed couplets around the theme of
                        2                                  ㉑卿խӬᥙӶޢ㙊१ǯݯ␰ᖧԋᝳ᰾߅ཱឆ׹՗▴ે⩢卿ޢݯ
         Zhoujia yanxi zhi bao.  The two events clearly convey the importance
                                                           १㙬ൈዪǯᜫ㉼ݺᝧ⊺卿Ԇۄ㐃⣖⤋卿սࣿ㰱৅✙։卿َཿጻ
         of this phrase to the Jiaqing Emperor, with the Zhoujia yanxi zhi bao

         seals serving as a symbolic witness to this great milestone. The seal to   ሔǯ㊃␰ᖧ✙࡞पᘾ㌥޴㙾卿⊇ࠗ᝾㋁㋁२㊧Ԡ⯍ዪǯǹ ᇖ
         be offered by Christie’s is among the larger and more impressive from   ⩧इᱲԻݥஇሻ⎏ጻݱ᰻࡚ǯ⩧உ⥴ⶬ㘺ӬԖ㯪卿ૃጻ⎑Ⴝग
         this group.                                       ڔԻݦ։⏟ཌ☆՞ࢇ⎏Կካ厍Ӭᛓ⁞ߣ㚁इǸॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹ
                                                           ἃࣇᙔㅳᎰ༾∵הἃ⡕ሗǯᡜᗌૃጻǶ༾⻽Ƿ卿⋁ᛞߴㅳԻӶ
         A study on the present seal reveals the subtle relationship between the
         Jiaqing Emperor and his father the Qianlong Emperor. Unlike other   ऱ㐏஠ഌഌཎཎݬࢦᄃᙹǸॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹ卿ᛓૃጻ⎑Ⴝᇙ⊇
         sovereigns, Jiaqing was deprived of independent rule when he ascended   ༾∵ԋײ⊇㯟ℯᝬ㵶⎏ࣇᙔǯՀᛓங✄Հჺ⎏݉᚛ᙲ᫈卿ங㞒
         the throne as his retired father, the Supreme Emperor, remained the   ⵖ༈ⳍ་ᅡ⯀ࣿݤᅡ⩎៣ǯा⯀Ԡ㧿࣊սǶॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾Ƿἃ
         de facto ruler and ultimate decision-maker. This unique situation set
                                                           㯪ה㉼⪩ओ卿ᝃ㘚ݯ՞⊂⣌᫓কሲዏԖᆌǯ ज㇦ૃጻႽཌǸॶ
         the standard throughout Jiaqing’s reign. What had been a practice in
                                                           ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹᏒ⼘᲎⎏ዪ⨒⎏⏭㞒卿जս㊯Ǹॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹ
         the Qianlong period also prevailed in the Jiaqing period, and this is
                                                           ᛓૃጻ⎑Ⴝ㞒㇝՞⊂㪖ᬀ⎏᧐㊗ሻ༾∵ǯ⩧צ೥ᇑݩत᫉᪖ᐽ
         reflected in the form and style of Jiaqing’s imperial seals. One such
         example is the carving of seals in the context of a group. During the   㐈⩢ߺᛓݯԋ㵲㞔㖅ഌ⎏Ӭᙹǯ
         Qianlong period a considerable number of seals in related groups
         were produced, each group comprising one principal seal bearing the   㘲㙞Ǹॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹㅳה⎏⫫ᜀ卿Ꮁٛजսዷईߪૃጻ⯝Գ
         name of a palace or hall while the others were inscribed with poetic   㪏‪ຽԠ㧿ᇤ൘⎏㨸ؠǯ⯝ݯձ⎑ႽӶऱ⎏ᛓ卿ૃጻ⦏ׅᇌ
         phrases and maxims alluding to the meaning and textual reflection to
                                                           ԆӶ⬒Գ⣤ℒᙷ卿⋁Իഎӳ⎑Ⴝ⎏Գ㪏խᓈᔍⶬᝬ㵶ᮛ✥᪇ǯ
         the first seal. As with his father, a total of seventy groups of seals were
                                                           㘺♎⁞᫢⎏⣌᫓卿ײᇑૃጻᇈ㫙ᗥ⬴Գ㪏ᛞឆᆨᎰ⎏໸ᅴǯԳ
         carved during Jiaqing’s reign, and the present seal belongs to such a
         group forming a set together with two subsidiary seals, Zhuangjing   㪏ᛞឆ⎏ӬߏַԢ㛢սݯጪሻஙૃጻងश߿ᶔ࡚卿㘺♎ጪሻங
         riqiang, ‘Maintaining self-dignity and constant improvement’, and   ૃጻ⎏༾∵ԋԮᝳӶᐙӶᏭ⎏ヿ→ǯӬٖ׾ຽᛓ⢑∵⎏ߴㅳǯ
         Jianxing buxi, ‘Strive ahead with unceasing effort’. This clearly illustrates   Գ㪏ᛞㅳהԻ⏟⋁ᙇ㞔ӲᙹӬ⢑⎏⢑∵卿ݯԋӬᙹἃ༈ᬆ∵卿
         an inherited style from the Qianlong Emperor and can be compared
                                                           औംݦᙹἃ㉼ᙔ㍎ओ∵卿⊇ս㊯ᚺᬆल∵ԋᬆल⎏्⨒ࣿ׹
         with Qianlong’s seal Guxi tianzi zhi bao, ‘Seal of the seventy-year-old
                                                           ᫓ǯૃጻႽՔ᫊Գ㪏Ԡᇌಋ卿ߴㅳԻӶӴӮࢦ⢑㘺᧙⎏⢑∵ǯ
         Emperor’, with its subsidiary seal, Youri zizi, ‘Strive ahead assiduously’.
                                                           औӬٖ׾ຽལᛓǸॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹࣿݯࠗ⛌ǸⴃᘾᚚᆎǹǮǸڟ
         At the age of eighty Qianlong commissioned the seal Bazheng
         maonian zhi bao, ‘Seal of an eighty-year-old man embodying the Eight   リӶቱǹ⎏ߴㅳǯԳ㪏ஙӮࢦ᫐ᛞߴǸऒ☮഍ຽԠ༾ǹԆ㜩
         Virtues’, and the subsidiary seal Ziqiang buxi, ‘Improving oneself with   սǸ⃫ᚚ໇໇ǹࠗ⛌卿ݨࢦ᫐ᛞߴǸݨᇨ⩡ሗԠ༾ǹԆ㜩ս
         unremitting effort’, to commemorate his eightieth birthday. Evidently,   Ǹ⯇ᆎӶቱǹࠗ⛌卿⊇ս⡕ሗ⪛೰卿㭰✥⯇Ⴀǯ⩧ૃጻݪࢦ
         Jiaqing continued this tradition when he reached the age of sixty.
                                                           ᫐ᛞՔᝳऱ᧙⎏⯟ᓢ卿ஙߴǸॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹ⎏ऱᛞ卿㚍ߴ
         Apart from carving the Zhoujia yanxi zhi bao principal seal, there was
                                                          ǸⴃᘾᚚᆎǹǮǸڟリӶቱǹՀ∵㜩ᎰӬ⢑卿ǸૃጻՀࢦ୨ჺ卿
         also the inclusion of two subsidiary seals as mentioned above to form
         a group. The Qing-scholar Chen Kangqi notes in Langqian jiwen sanbi   գ໵⎑Ⴝ⪛೰ݪࢦ卿ࡺ݉ྊᇪ卿ዐዐ⒐⒐卿ԛউսĝⴃᘾᚚᆎǮ

         [Miscellaneous notes of a retired official 3], “In the twenty-fourth   ڟリӶቱĞՀ㊥卿ߎ㦔༾∵卿㬳Ꮢ㋵ᚚ጗Ӭᚚ᫄厒ǹ  ݯリἃ
         year of his reign, the sixty-year-old Emperor Renzong embodied all   ⯝Գ㪏ൈ߅Ӭ㗂卿ᚺ㰆஠ዷ㈅ߪૃጻႽஙݰ㵲リἃӳཌԳ㪏
         virtues yet still continued to strive ahead with conscientiousness and   ⎏ߴዪ᧘֎ǯ
         compassion. (To commemorate this), he ordered for the carving of two
         seals bearing the maxims Zhuangjing ziqiang and Jianxing buxi. Should
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         we not live every single day with unremitting effort?”  Obviously   㨸ᙻ㘺ᙹǸॶ⊑ᅠ◯Ԡ༾ǹㅳה⎏ݰ㵲ᛞ㧿卿᳖༈㙁㗤⽔᰻
                                                           ㈷ᨯἃᎱٛᓽ؊Ի⏟㨸⤇⡷ǯૃጻՀࢦӲჺ卻     ჺ卼ࢦӬ
         Jiaqing was purposely imitating his father’s style.
                                                           ᝲࢦՆᚚǸ৘ം㚿⎋◙׹㊯卿፿ࡧᬆഎ⏍ॢ㙊▼Ւ厍㬪ℱ༾
         The Palace Archives from the Imperial Workshops provide clues on   Ӳᙹ㜩ڔӲ࢑Ǯ⎊ℱ༾Ӭᙹ㜩ڔӬ࢑Ǯ⎊ℱഀ䂆༾Ӭߎ㈷Ӳ
         when the seal would have been made. An entry dated to the fifteenth
                                                           ᙹݬ㜩ڔӬ࢑Ǯ⎊ℱ⾿䂆༾Ӭߎ㈷Ӳᙹݬ㜩ڔӬ࢑Ǯ⎊ℱ㫡
         day of the eleventh month of the twenty-third year of the Jiaqing reign
                                                           䂆༾Ӭߎ㈷Ӳᙹݬ㜩ڔӬ࢑卿۔᚜厍ⶬ⎉ᇁ⼖႔ᾅ،༾ӳ⠉
         (1818) may be translated, ‘Lu Jinxiang of Maoqin Palace presents: three
         celadon jade seals in three boxes, a white jade seal in a box, a group   ㏧ࣥᙔ࠼႙⡿ߴ卿㇝᳅ǯ㜩ڔ⡩࣡⡻᨞ណႣ㙤ઑᄠ⡵⧜⸌࢑卿

         of three white jade seals with kui-dragon finials in a box, a group of   ࡞ᙻჺݤ㘨՗१㙊卿᪩᫉ǯǹ ᨯᡪԋ㫍὞᮱ᝳᏒㅳࣇ⛌⎏ࣇ
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