Page 30 - 2019 October Important Chinese Art Sotheby's Hong Kong

FLOWERS OF YOUTH : A MAGNIFICENT

‘PRUNUS AND LINGZHI’ BOWL

DR HAJNI ELIAS

The elegant yet understated beauty of the present bowl cherished as examples of resilience and perseverance in
epitomises traditional Chinese appreciation for flowers and the face of adversity. Their elegance serves as a metaphor
the complex and multifaceted symbolism they stood for. for inner beauty and humble display. Lady Du’s wish in her
Blooming throughout the four seasons, flowers were not only poem that one should not cherish the robe of golden thread,
treasured for their beauty, fragrance and atmosphere, but a reference to one’s material needs, but appreciate that
also for being messengers of nature and change. They were which is born out of nature, is precisely how the Chinese
seen as emblematic of the rhythm and order in nature and as were able to transform a simple subject, like the prunus, into
such have long assumed a prominent position in Chinese art. a beautiful and auspicious metaphor. In art, the prunus is
often depicted as a member of the ‘Three Friends of Winter
The famous couplet, ‘Don’t wait till there are no flowers, (suihan sanyou)’, along with the pine and the bamboo, as
vainly to break branches’ from the poem The Robe of Golden well as being one of the ‘Four Gentlemen (sijunzi)’ with the
Thread (Jinlü yi) by the Tang dynasty poet Du Qiuniang or
Lady Du Qiu (d. circa 825 CE) comes to mind, reminding us orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, symbolising nobility.
of how the ancient literati associated flowers with nature However, its pairing with the lingzhi fungus, as seen on the
present bowl, is unusual and will be examined in more detail
and the natural course of passing of time. The poem reads below.
as follows,
This bowl superbly represents the Yongzheng Emperor’s
‘I urge you, milord, aesthetic sensibility, distinctive taste and fondness for
not to cherish your robe of golden thread;
Rather, milord, I urge you traditional Chinese motifs, as well as his demanding
to cherish the time of your youth, standards for refinement and sophistication. Bearing this
in mind, let us take a closer look at the painterly decoration
When the flower is open and pluckable, on the bowl. The prunus blossoms, in shades of snowy-
you simply must pluck it;
Don’t wait till there are no flowers, white and pink, appear on leafless branches, suggesting the 2
vainly to break branches.’ 1 season of winter and thus symbolising rebirth and longevity.
The two gnarled boughs with knots and burls in the
Lady Du reminds us of the beautiful imagery of delicate composition give a sense of age while the buds and blooms
blooms which need picking before they wither, a metaphor that issue out of the bare branches are refreshingly vivid and
for making the most of life while young and enjoying nature’s lively. The sharp contrast is deliberate and highlights the
delights. Amongst flowers, the prunus blossom stands out passing of winter and the imminent arrival of spring.
for its prominent use in Chinese art. Traditionally, it has
been seen as both a symbol of winter as well as harbinger As mentioned earlier, the inclusion of the lingzhi fungus in
the composition is interesting and warrants our attention. Of
of spring. The blooms are most vibrant when cold, standing dark purple-brown colouration, wrinkled, and often stubby,
out in the winter snow, when everything around them is
bare and before any other plant or flower appear. They are the lingzhi may not be the most beautiful plant to look at but
is certainly one of the most highly regarded motifs in Chinese

28 SOTHEBY ’S IMPORTANT CHINESE ART