Page 120 - Christie's, Important Chinese Works of Art December 2, 2015 HK

represents many descendants. In addition it is a symbol of 䶁䴚剙⋱⚾䘬⎎ᶨᷣ柴㗗㟪剙炻㬌剙䚃㓦㕤ᷕ䥳ᷳ晃炻㯋␛
longevity and a metaphor for ‘mother’. In this panel the daylilies 㶭楁炻ⷠ≈ℍ勞惺ᷕ⡆㶣楁㯋ˤˬ㟪˭冯ˬ屜˭⎴枛炻ⷞ㚱
are shown with ornamental rocks. These two symbols combine ⭴屜ᷳシˤ⬫Ṏ尉⽝㌬⃫㟪ⅈ炻⌛䥹冱侫娎䌚䫔ᶨ⎵ˤ⁛婒
to extend the auspicious wishes, as daylily and rock suggest the 㚰⭖⪎⧍岰㟪剙㝅Ḱ䉨⃫⍲䫔侭炻ㆸ䁢ˬ垦⭖㉀㟪˭䘬℠㓭ˤ
wish: yi’nan yishou ⭄䓟䙲⢥ ‘May you have sons and live long’, 忁ⷭ䴡䔓⚈侴シ㊯䤅栀⫸⬓䘣䥹檀ᷕˤ
or xuanshou yanling 叙⢥⺞漉 ‘May the daylily and rock extend
your years’. 䶁䴚䔓ᷕ怬㚱㛐嗕冯㴟㢈䳬⎰炻⎴㧋㗗ᷕ⚳ⶍ喅⑩䘬慵天ᷣ
柴炻㛐嗕尉⽝䲼㻼炻⛐ᷕ⚳⍰䧙䌱嗕ㆾ䘥䌱嗕炻⚈㬌Ṏ╣䌱
Another popular flower, osmanthus, appears in one of the woven 岒⅘㶭炻冯㴟㢈䳸⎰⇯㥳ㆸˬ䌱➪˭炻忁㗗⮵侘㜿昊䘬晭
silk panels on this screen. The tiny flowers of the osmanthus, 䧙炻⚈㬌忁䳬剙⋱昌䌱嗕ẋ堐䲼㻼⢾炻㚜䤅栀㖑㖍忚ℍ㛅⺟
which come into blossom in autumn around the time of 䔞⭀ˤ7
the Moon Festival, are very fragrant and are used to flavour
both tea and wine. More significantly, osmanthus guihua 㟪剙 㬌⯷ᶲ䘬⋩㔠䧖剙⋱炻ᶵỮ⚈⢾⼊⪴伶侴丒ℍ䴡䔓␴䶁䴚䔓炻
provides a rebus for the Chinese word gui 屜, meaning ‘noble’ 㚜庱屈叿寸⭴⣂⼑䘬⎱䤍⏓シˤ忁㕡朊冯⯷桐ᶲ䘬℞Ṿⶍ喅
or ‘distinguished’. This flower also suggests scholastic success, ᶨ㧋炻䘮普ㆸḮ⭖⹕⎵ⷓ⋈⽫䌐忳䘬ⶏ⿅ˤ
representing the passing of the civil service examinations at
the highest level. Folklore suggests that Chang E on the moon
presents such a successful scholar with a branch of osmanthus,
hence the phrase changong zhegui 垦⭖㉀㟪 ‘to pluck the guihua
from the Moon Palace’. The inclusion of this flower usually
implied a wish for sons who distinguished themselves through
noble accomplishments.

A particularly attractive kesi panel depicts blossoming white
magnolia and crab apple. The majestic white magnolia flowers
are used to great effect by craftsmen in the Chinese decorative
arts, and the flowers are emblems of purity. In Chinese they are
often called either yulan 䌱嗕 ‘jade orchid’ or baiyulan 䘥䌱嗕
‘white jade orchid’. The white magnolia is therefore often used
as a rebus for jade. Crab apple is haitang 㴟㢈 in Chinese, and
thus combines with the white magnolia to provide a rebus for
the Jade Hall yutang 䌱➪. This was an elegant way of referring
to the Hanlin Academy 侘㜿昊, which was an institution of
scholars who were responsible for both administrative and
literary undertakings on behalf of the court. Thus, in addition
to the suggestion of purity implicit in the white magnolia, the
combination of these two flowers provide a wish for entrance to
this revered academy.7

These, and all the other flowers included in the painted and
woven silk panels on this splendid screen are not depicted merely
for their delightful appearance, but also for their auspicious
wishes. As with all aspects of this superb screen, the designs have
been carefully selected, and have then been prepared by the most
skilled artists in each field.

1 The Complete collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 54 - Furniture of the Ming and 1 㓭⭖⌂䈑昊啷㔯䈑䍵⑩˪㖶㶭⭞℟˫炷ᶳ炸炻楁㷗炻⓮⊁⌘㚠棐炻2002⸜炻
Qing Dynasties (II), Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 228-231, no. 196-7. 228-231枩炻⚾䇰196-7嘇ˤ
2 This throne was formerly in the Philippe Berthelot and Regency collections. It 2 㬌漵⹏㸸㕤 Philippe Berthelot and Regency 冲啷炻庱M. Beurdeley, Chinese
is illustrated by M. Beurdeley in Chinese Furniture, Tokyo/New York/San Francisco, Furniture,Tokyo/NewYork/San Francisco, 1979, p. 130, pl. 176.
1979, p. 130, pl. 176 and subsequent colour detail. 3 㓭⭖⌂䈑昊啷㔯䈑䍵⑩˪曺剙慱塷䲭˫炷ᶳ炸炻楁㷗炻⓮⊁⌘㚠棐炻2000
3 Illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 36 - Blue and ⸜炻
White Porcelain with Underglaze Red (III), Hong Kong, 2000, pp. 8-9, no. 5. 8-9枩炻⚾䇰5嘇ˤ
4 An example from the collection of Sir Percival David is illustrated by Rosemary 4 ΐ㔎⣏䵕⽟➢慹㚫啷⑩炻夳Rosemary Scott, Elegant Form and Harmonious
Scott in Elegant Form and Harmonious Decoration - Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, Decoration - Four Dynasties of Jingdezhen Porcelain, London, 1992, p. 116, no. 126.
London, 1992, p. 116, no. 126. 5 夳㛙⭞㸵㔯䪈炻ȼYongzheng Lacquerware in the Palace Museum, BeijingȽ,
5 This is discussed by Zhu Jiajin, ‘Yongzheng Lacquerware in the Palace Museum, Orientations, March 1988, pp. 28-39.
Beijing’ Orientations, March 1988, pp. 28-39. 6 夳2003⸜7㚰6㖍楁㷗Ἓ⢓⼿ᷕ⚳⎌ẋ㚠䔓㉵岋⚾抬炻㉵⑩2137嘇ˤ
6 Christie’s Hong Kong, Fine Classical Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy, 6 July 2003, 7 㚱斄⎬䧖剙⋱䘬⭻シ炻⍫侫T.Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art,
lot 2137. San Francisco, 2006.
7 For further discussion of flower symbolism see T.Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings
in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006.

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