Page 83 - Christie's Leisurely Life May 29, 2019 Hong Kong

2960 Continued

The poem can be translated as: 㯪㍃厍 ࢦ㞑᧊⯓Ɽ㬌⥴
Miles of towers and terraces surrounded by mist-like ໺㫛໺ᜅ
flowers, ྒྷⰰ⟝ᛌᝆ
Delightful whether rain or shine, ᤨᠪ៨㯔᫬ᝲཎ
Mountain scenery frames a spring dawn. ᱡᣗ៨ӳ⃫⏼㺠
Over the willow boughs the moon wanes small, ⼵჊ℱ՞ߝ␮㈅
On the crab-apple branch the birds sleep still.
Inside the orchid curtains a jade beauty just awakes, ㉹ਮ᧊߿
Asking: Right in front of the building, ⊺⯹㧷അཐ
How many pleasure boats have launched? ౗ཌྷཊⱥ՞㑌᚝
The reply: the fragrance seekers are up early, ⡻㴙૦㙞㲞ಋ㙣
Their chestnut steeds are neighing past the scented
dust road! 㩽ᙔ㟊ࣇ厍
ᆌ໵⊶ࣇ
The poem, titled Suti Chunxiao (Spring Dawn at Su
Causeway), was written by Mo Fan of the early Ming Dynasty, 㪈ᙔ㟊ࣇ厍
a recluse who lived at the West Lake in Hangzhou, and who
was famous for his lyrics on the scenery there. Su Causeway Ⴑ㿩
was constructed under Su Shi (1037-1101), while he was ᫉⛛㫌✖✢ӳᏒߴԠ㉴ᛓ㪰཰㇛ᴓ⎏ᚺջ㉴՞ⴢ∝Ꮢಃǯ⼖ో
magistrate of Hangzhou, as a raised walkway consisting six
bridges through the lake on which sightseers could walk to ἃ⼖㖀֌ឿ႔⒖႔ᛞᏒᅤో࿆卿㙄ᓞ㇛ᴓࢶ࢈ݦ࿆卿ࡺ्ݪᢣ
enjoy the views. ‘To seek fragrance’ is a double entendre for ᧶ᧉ卿ోӳᛌ഍⎏ᜀⰰἃⶬल⎏㇛ᴓࢦᜀԠӬǯ
‘to enjoy scenery’ and ‘to visit prostitutes’. The dust is scented
because it picks up the scent of perfumed slippers as the girls ᆌႱ㿩ໃ໵⊶卿᳖ջⶬल⛛ߴ།卿ս⊬㬪ᐃᯧ⪡ӽ卿ᇌ՞…⏟
go to and fro. ֎Ԡǯ᫉✖✢㫌ߴ⠢⧻⡿⮏卿࣐᭔㮫݋㑷卿Ӷ⊬ࢎ᭔卿ᛓᆌႱ
㿩ה৅ԋ⎏⩖ᤶԠהǯ✖✢ӳ՘⯓᧊㨌卿៣ណ⹗㶸卿ྒྷⰰ⣬㿃卿
The bamboo carver Zhang Xihuang is famed for using the
liuqing technique, where the design is formed by carving away ᝬἃ⁞ߣ⎏ᛓ㮱㛑Ӭ㙣㫡㬌卿սӶ㇧ߺ⎏⛛㬪᳅᳍㯭ⰰヿ→卿
the bamboo ‘skin’ either totally or partially to reveal the ‘flesh’ 㙁Ꮀݏᆴ㫘ᄀ⎏ᘤ៧卿㬳჎ℒ⁞ǯ
tones underneath in varying degrees. The current brushpot is
one of the finest examples by Zhang Xihuang, and shows his ㉹ᬘ㖅औӬ։᭢៏⒢ྒྷᏑ⯠⻦⎏ᆌႱ㿩⛛㫌✖✢卿ᙻ㲞ᳰ⼖༛
consummate carving skills, which is widely copied by later ᬘ ჺ ᝲ ᚚᐽ߅卿ᐽ৅ ⽚ǯ
carvers. Not only is the scenery meticulously carved in rich
details, the treatment of the graduating clouds/mist above the
mountains, especially, is rendered with great effect. Compare
a brushpot by Zhang Xihuang from the Water, Pine and Stone
Retreat Collection, sold in Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 October
2010, lot 2184.

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