Page 32 - Sotheby's Qianlong Calligraphy Oct. 3, 2018

fig. 3
Inscribed white jade bowl, yuyong mark and period of Qianlong
Qing court collection
Image Courtesy of Palace Museum, Beijing
圖三
清乾隆 白玉題詩盌《乾隆御用》款 清宮舊藏
圖片鳴謝：北京故宮博物院

these three bowls are the earliest extant poems known to me were carved with the reign mark ‘Qianlong yuyong’. 10
by the Emperor on jade bowls meant for these ceremonies. In In short, the reign mark ‘Qianlong yuyong’ expressed the
other words, these three bowls are the earliest bowls definitely Emperor’s personal preference and denoted vessels reserved
used for these ceremonies.
for his personal use, regardless of place and time of creation.
Let us now consider the difference between the reign marks The reign mark ‘Qianlong nianzhi’ is most commonly found
‘Qianlong yuyong’ and ‘Qianlong nianzhi’. In my survey of on Qianlong-period jades. It primarily denotes newly created
jades formerly in the Qing imperial court, I have found that jade objects of high quality used and collected by the court,
objects bearing the former reign mark are far fewer than those although it is found also on a very limited number of historical
bearing the latter, and the two groups also differ in object jade objects refashioned by the Qianlong court. The reign
types. ‘Qianlong yuyong’ is inscribed primarily on two types of mark is mentioned very frequently in the records of the Qing
objects. The first is tributary jades from elsewhere and jades court workshop. 11
remaining from previous dynasties, as suggested by an entry
from the 44th year of the Qianlong reign in palace workshop Qing court records indicate that reign marks carved on
records on a tributary ‘Huizi’ bowl to be carved with the reign Qianlong-period jades, whether in clerical, seal, or regular
mark ‘Qianlong yuyong’. 9 script, were based on brush-written designs by calligraphers.
Sometimes the designs were attached to the jades for the
As mentioned above, the jade bowl that the Qianlong Emperor Emperor’s approval before execution. The Qianlong Emperor
received from Xinjiang in 1758 is carved in relief with the reign cared a great deal about his own poetic compositions. These
mark ‘Qianlong yuyong’. Other Hindustan jades from the were sometimes rendered in calligraphy by the Emperor
Qing imperial collection also bear this mark, as do jades from himself, and sometimes by high ministers and professional
previous dynasties, such as the Ming, that remained in the calligraphers. The calligraphic models were then transferred
Qing court collection.
to the jades by specially trained carvers. The process is
The second type of jades bearing the reign mark ‘Qianlong fundamentally similar to the traditional process of reproducing
yuyong’ are newly created ones that the Qianlong Emperor calligraphy in stone stelae. These inscriptions in jades retained
personally treasured, such as two white bowls recorded in the calligrapher’s manner and intent, and for this reason the
entries from the 45th year of the Qianlong reign. These were calligraphy found on Qianlong-period jades is of a quality
respectively made by Ruyiguan craftsmen from sketches by unsurpassed by inscribed jades from other periods. Known
the court painter Yang Dazhang and inscribed with poems by jade inscribers in the Qianlong court include Zhu Yongtai, Zhu
Zhu Yongtai. On the Qianlong Emperor’s personal order, both Shiyun, and Zhu Cai.

30 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比