Page 69 - Important Chinese Art Hong Kong April 2, 2019 Sotheby's

Fig. 1
Cobalt-blue and iron-red ‘dragon’ meiping, seal
mark and period of Qianlong
© Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
圖一
清乾隆 青花礬紅彩九龍紋梅瓶
© 北京故宮博物院藏品

The symbolism of the pearl merits more discussion. At one While no other similar vase to the present piece appears to
level it represents spiritual energy and truth, this luminous be recorded, see a miniature underglaze-red Qianlong mark
object, usually rendered as a red or white sphere ringed and period meiping painted with two five-clawed dragons
by a fiery blaze, is also associated with the teachings of amidst clouds and bats, with one beast partially rising from
early Daoism where it represented the ‘sacred pearl of crested waves, from the collection of W.W. Winkworth, sold
perception (yang energy)’. It is also a reference to the in our London rooms, 12th December 1972, lot 102, and later
spiritual and physical cultivation of the body and soul in the collection of F. Gordon Morrill, New York, included
(shen) which encapsulated the heart and mind (xin). The in 1973 exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Chinese term translated as ‘mind’ uses the character Compare also a bottle form vase with a Qianlong reign mark
‘heart (xin)’, as in ancient times it was believed that the and of the period, decorated in iron-red with a single large
heart (and not the brain) functioned as the thinking organ dragon reaching for a flaming pearl, sold in these rooms, 5th
that made judgements and was the seat of both affection October 2016, lot 3302.
3
and cognition. The pearl also became associated with the 1 The Azur Dragon of the East is one of the Four Constellations that may be
teachings of Buddhism, in its significance as representations seen in the sky at night together with the Vermillion Bird of the South, the
of wisdom and enlightenment. In Chinese art the dragon is Black Turtle of the North and the White Tiger of the West. It symbolises
the ultimate symbol of imperial authority. Thus the dragon protection and in ancient texts it has been reincarnated as famous warriors.
It is also associated with the season of Spring and the Daoism element of
and the pearl together convey the idea of the emperor as the Wood.
embodiment of the ultimate wisdom and truth. The message 2 Xiulian is a type of Daoist neidan or esoteric physical, mental and spiritual
conveyed in the decoration of this vase is complex. Although practice to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body.
the associations and meanings of the two dragons and the 3 See Roel Sterckx, Chinese Thought: From Confucius to Cook Ding, London,
pearl would have been familiar to everyone, the maker of 2019, p. 169.
this vase has skilfully created a ‘new’ design using the above
mentioned two popular sources.

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