Page 10 - Chinese Ceramics the Linyushanren Collection Part 1 , Christie's

Prunus and bamboo are favourite subjects of Chinese poets
and painters. Both plants are able to endure the harsh winter
and often life-threatening conditions brought on by the
extreme weather.The prunus bursts into blossoms at the time
around Chinese NewYear on branches bare of leaves, its subtle
fragrance predicting the onset of spring and announcing
the start of the new life cycle. The bamboo, meanwhile, is
evergreen throughout the bleak winter, a rare sight of hope
in the otherwise desolate landscape. Its hollow and upright
stalk becomes analogous to a gentleman’s esteemed characters
of modesty and incorruptibility. Both plants are symbols
of fortitude in the face of adversity, and have inspired poets
and painters for centuries, with their popularity reaching an
unprecedented height in the Song period (960-1279).

The painting style on the current bowl pays tribute to Song fig. 2 Hidden Fragrance, Sparse Shadows. Ma Lin (ca. 1180-after 1256),
Dynasty bird-and-flower paintings, specifically those produced Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)
by the Painting Academy of the Song court. Painters like Ma Collection of the National Palace Museum,Taipei
Yuan 馬遠 (1160-1225) and his son Ma Lin 馬麟 (ca. 1180 -
after 1256) of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) were （圖二）馬麟 《暗香疏影》 冊頁 國立故宮博物院藏品
particularly fond of the subject of prunus, and both produced
naturalistic yet beautifully lyrical representations. Ma Lin’s 由此可以看出雍正皇帝非常喜愛這些赭墨彩的器皿，可
painting of prunus, titled Layered Ice-white Silk 層 疊 冰 綃 4, 想而知是因為它們與水墨畫卷極為相似。值得我們注意
now in the Beijing Palace Museum, is one such example 的是戴恒、湯振基這些本來在畫作任職的畫師，被調去
(fig. 1). The delicately painted petals contrast with the jagged 琺瑯作畫琺瑯。檔案還顯示，特定的書法家如戴臨，被
and gnarled branches that create dynamic silhouettes; and 皇帝要求寫琺瑯器上的題字：
the composition intentionally leaves a large space unpainted,
recalling wintery solitude. Another work attributed to him, 十七日，內務府總管海望持出白磁碗一對，奉旨：
now in the National Palace Museum, features both prunus
and bamboo5 (fig. 2). The composition depicts two sprays 著將此碗上多半面畫綠竹，
of blossoms – the principal one stretching across the image, 少半面著戴臨撰字，言詩頌題。3
while a smaller branch growing downwards along the right
hand margin. They are accompanied by a sprig of bamboo, 這些資料顯示雍正皇帝想製作的並不是一般的工藝品，
whose naturalistic leaves are drawn with double outlines, and 而是結合他手下頂尖的畫師與書家，來創造一件藝術
some show signs of withering around the edges.The blossoms 品。因為他如此嚴格的要求，才產生了瓷器史上前所未
are drawn with delicate translucent white petals attached to 見的精美圖畫及書法。 就如此碗，其上以精湛的筆法工
green calyces, similar to those on Layered Ice-white Silk. This
particular type of prunus, called lü’e’mei ( 綠萼梅 ) in Chinese,
or ‘green-calyx prunus’ (Prunus mume var. viridicalyx), is a
particularly rare type favoured by the Southern Song Court,
and rarely seen outside the palace ground. In the Manual
on Prunus (Meipu 梅 譜 ) , the author Fan Chengda ( 范 成 大
1126-1193) wrote:

‘The calyces of prunus blossoms are always dark reddish 筆寫出一棵梅樹，其枝幹虯錯矯健，蜿蜒而生，時而乍
purple; this is the only type that has pure green ones, and 然轉折，卻總與碗形相得益彰。花蕊及花苞以細筆淡墨
the twigs are green as well. It is the purest and the most 勾勒，突顯其高潔清雅。其下有幾叢矮竹，枝葉以雙鉤
superior. Some fanciful people even compare it to the 細筆白描，密而不亂，次序井然，充分表現畫家功力。
Immortal lady of Mt. Jiuyi, E Lühua6.’7 碗的另一面以行書題兩句五言詩句，筆法溫雅端秀，句
首以金紅料鈐一印，句尾壓尾二印。
A faint reflection of the prunus and bamboo sprays can be
seen on the lower part of the painting, floating on the subtly
indicated stream.This composition is an illustration of a poem
by the Northern Song poet Lin Bu 林逋 (968-1028), one of
the most celebrated Chinese poems on prunus, A Small Prunus
in a Mountain Garden 山園小梅 :

8 An Important Yongzheng Falangcai ‘Prunus And Bamboo’ Bowl 踈影暗香 ─ 雍正琺瑯彩赭墨梅竹圖盌