Page 53 - Sotheby's Qianlong Calligraphy Oct. 3, 2018

fig. 2
Furnishing inventory archives from the 7th year of the
Jiaqing reign (in accordance with 1802)
圖二
清嘉慶 嘉慶七年陳設檔

A lover of jade, the Qianlong Emperor often had his favourite not engraved with the seals found in the version in Sanxitang
calligraphic works engraved on jade. The textual content of the fatie, but rather only the three imperial seals of Sanxitang,
present jade screen can be found also on the outer perimeter Qianlong yuwan, and Neifu tushu. There is no overlapping of
of a round jade brush washer that bears Qianlong’s own seal and calligraphy, resulting in a technically much simpler
inscription in running and regular scripts, which is followed work. The white jade screen, however, shares the interweaving
by two imperial seals reading Qian and Long. Currently in guaizi dragons and floral scrolls on the edges of the present
the Palace Museum, this jade washer was once housed in green jade screen, as well as the same technique of filling the
Soufangzhai and used by Qianlong himself, as documented in engravings with gold powder. The engraving on both works
a report by the Palace Museum (fig. 6). is stylistically consistent and may have been executed by the
same hand.
The Qianlong Emperor himself copied Thirteen Lines many
times, and often had his calligraphic copies reproduced as Qianlong made the following annotation to Zhao Mengfu’s
jade album leaves, as documented in an entry dated to the colophon to Timely Clearing After Snowfall: “After snow in the
7th month of the 14th year of his reign (1749) in the records of 12th month of the year jisi (1750), I followed my excitement
the palace workshop. This entry mentions in particular a white and made a reduced copy of this model. I ordered Zhu Cai to
jade album of four leaves engraved with Qianlong’s copy the engrave it on a jade with a scene of Wang Xizhi playing with
Thirteen Lines of the Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River. 6 geese made by Yao Zongren. This made for a good memory”
(fig. 8). This must have been the same white jade screen sold
A few days later, Qianlong ordered the palace workshops to fill
the engraving with gold powder and make a box for the album. at Sotheby’s in 2003, which indeed depicts a scene of Wang
Xizhi playing with geese on the reverse.
This was not the only example. The Palace Museum contains
also an album of six jade leaves engraved with Qianlong’s copy The white jade screen, engraved with Qianlong’s reduced copy
of Thirteen Lines. of Timely Clearing After Snowfall, is surprisingly no smaller
than the green jade screen on offer. The latter reproduces the
All “Three Rarities” were engraved on jade by Qianlong’s original Mid-Autumn Manuscript in Sanxitang fatie to a higher
order. Sotheby’s 30th Anniversary Auctions of 2003 featured degree of faithfulness, incorporating all the seals and retaining
a white jade table screen engraved with Wang Xizhi’s Timely the textual composition. The two screens were likely produced
Clearing after Snowfall (fig. 7). The front of this screen is around the same time, and stylistically they both suggest the
hand of Zhu Cai.

QIANLONG — SCHOLAR AND CALLIGRAPHER 51