Page 18 - Christie's Hong Kong May 31, 2017 Adorning The KIngs Jades

fig. 1 The Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King Collection
圖一 西漢南越王墓博物館藏品

2711 Continued

This exceptional set of sword fittings exemplifies the best jade 玉白色帶黃沁斑，瑩潤有澤。劍首圓形，正面浮雕飾兩隻螭龍，背
carving of early Western Han period. Stylistically they are closely 面陰刻勾連雲紋；劍璏長方形，淺雕一螭龍，其上身出廓外成出戟，
related to a set of sword fittings once belonging to the King 加透雕流雲紋；劍珌為不規則束腰梯形，正面飾一螭龍，背面雕一
of Nanyue, illustrated in Zhongguo Yuqi Quanji 4 – Qin, Han, 龍尾，其末端有一熊咬住，作拉扯之狀。另附有一同期的玉劍格。
Nanbeichao, Hebei, 1993, pp. 60-61, nos. 79-82 (fig. 1). The
Nanyue set is missing the sword slide, while the current set has 此套劍飾紋飾精美，雕刻生動，是西漢早期難得的玉雕精品。在風
a matched sword guard. Both sets employ shallow, medium and 格上它們與南越王墓出土的一套劍飾相近，其著錄於《中國玉器全
high-relief carving to vividly depict sinewy dragons emerging 集 4 – 秦、漢》，河北，1993 年，頁 60-61，圖版 79-82 號（圖一）。
from and disappearing into the background of geometric cloud 南越王的一套少了劍璏，而此套的劍格應非原配。兩套的主體紋飾
scrolls. This theme, although commonly seen on Han jade 都為螭龍，均用深淺浮雕及透雕的幾種手法表現，出沒於勾連雲紋
carving, is particularly successfully executed here. The dragons 之間，這雖然是漢玉上常見的紋飾，但是在此可謂發揮得淋漓盡至
are carved with well-defined features and naturalistic musculature, 矣。螭龍的刻畫姿態靈動，肌理矯健，功力之深，直令清朝的頂級
showing a degree of sophistication rarely surpassed even on 玉雕也難望其項背。
carvings of the high Qing period.
此劍珌上的一隻螭龍，尾巴末端被一隻熊咬住。這個題材在南越王
On the chape of the current set, the tail of one of the dragons is 的一套劍珌上也可見，可見是王室喜愛的題材。這個題材的濫觴也
clenched in a bear’s mouth. This motif can also be seen on the 許可以追溯到屈原《楚辭・天問》裏其中的一句詩 :
chape of the Nanyue set, and is obviously a popular motif for
members of the royal family in the Han period. The origin of 「焉有虯龍，負熊以游 ?」
this motif can perhaps be traced back to a section from the poem
Tianwen (Heavenly Questions) by poet Qu Yuan: 《天問》向以晦澀難懂聞名，後人對此句的註解也有許多分歧。其
中一個解釋牽涉到以治水聞名的大禹。傳說大禹的父親鯀也是治水
‘Why is there the hornless dragon, carrying a bear on its back as a 專家，但是因為治水失敗，導致許多人民死亡，而被大舜處死於羽
companion?’ 山。當他的腹部被剖開時，一條黃龍從中飛騰而出，這便是日後的
大禹，而鯀自己也化身為一頭黃熊。不論此詩句是否影射這則傳說，
Tianwen is a notoriously arcane literary work, and there are many 可以確信的是，龍與熊相游的意象，在戰國時期就已存在，並且可
different interpretations of this particular section. One of which 能有世代交替，生命（血統）延續的寓意。
relates to Yu the Great, the mythological ruler of China who
introduced flood control. His father, Gun, who also attempted to
control the flood but failed, was purported to have been executed
by King Shun on the Feather Mountain. His belly was slashed
open, from which emerged a yellow dragon (Yu the Great), and
Gun himself metamorphosed into a yellow bear. Whether this
prose alludes to this particular myth or not, it is proof that the
imagery of dragon and bear playing together already existed as
early as the Warring States period, and could have connotations
of the continuation of life and the succession in the blood lineage
of the ruling house.

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