Lot 123: A very rare pair of Imperial gilt-bronze and cloisonné enamel huanghuali-framed poetic panels Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art

Huang Liuzi Si Yin seal mark, attributed to Yong Rong (1743-1790), Qianlong Each vertical rectangular hanging panel finely enamelled with a seven-character poetic verse filled in black, set against a vibrant turquoise enamelled 'cracked-ice' ground with scattered flowering blooms and buds, one with a rectangular seal reading 秋水 'qiushui' (Autumn Stream), and the other with two further seals in intaglio reading 皇六子私印' Huang Liuzi Si Yin' (Personal seal of the Sixth Son of the Emperor) and 種得芭蕉萬株 'Zhongde Bajiao Wanzhu' (Planting ten thousand plantain trees), each set within a ribbed huanghuali frame below the gilt hanging bracket. Each: 142cm x 29.3cm (55 7/8in x 11½in) (2).

142cm x 29.3cm

來源: Spink & Son Ltd., London (labels), probably acquired before 1967

清乾隆 或皇六子永瑢作(1743-1790) 御製黃花梨木嵌掐絲琺瑯七言聯掛屏一對 鈴印:「皇六子私印」、「種得芭蕉萬株」、「秋水」 Prince Yong Rong Prince Yong Rong 永瑢 (1743-1790) was the sixth son of the Qianlong emperor. Therefore the seal 皇六子私印 'Huang Liuzi Si Yin' (Personal seal of the Sixth Son of the Emperor) can only be attributed to him. Furthermore, Yong Rong who is known for his work as a general editor of the siku quanshu and for his calligraphy in the manuscript 二十一種救度佛母贊 'Twenty-One Hymns to the Rescuer Mother of Buddhas', was also known for his works of calligraphy and paintings. In the twenty-fourth year of the Qialong period (corresponding to 1760) he was made a Beile (Marquis) and heir to Prince Yun Xi. In the thirty-fourth year (1770) he became Zhi Junwang (Duke of Zhi) and was elevated to the title of Prince Jin in the fifty-fourth year (1790). Similarly to the present cloisonné enamelled couplet, Yong Rong inscribed and sealed his paintings with the title 'Huang Liuzi' (Sixth Son of the Emperor); see for example twelve album leaves sold at Christie's Hong Kong on 31 May 2011, lot 2565. The magnificent cloisonné couplet almost certainly would have been a special personal commission by Prince Yong Rong, combining his love of poetry, calligraphy and the zenith of cloisonné enamel production for the imperial court during the Qianlong period. It is very possible that the imperial couplet was made as a magnificent gift from Yong Rong to his father the Qianlong emperor on a special celebratory occasion such as an imperial birthday. The Poetic Couplet The couplet reads and literally translates as: 流水垂揚宜畫取 暖風晴日有詩無 Water flows under the weeping willow that is beautiful for painting, The sunny breeze that is warm for versification. Planting Ten Thousand Plantain Trees It is derived from a poem named 'Yue Jun Yong' 約君用', written by the Southern Song dynasty poet Fang Yue 方岳 (1199-1262), with minor alterations. The Southern Song poem reads and literally translates as: 十日春寒挾雨俱，新晴物色總歡娛。 花曾識面若含笑，鳥不知名時自呼。 流水短橋宜畫取，暖風遲日有詩無。 儻來須蠟登山屐，村北村南路欲蕪。 After ten days of chilly spring with shower, sceneries become always lively. The flower blossoms as if an acquaintance smiles, the bird sings as if it calls my name. Water flows under the bridge that is so beautiful for painting, the spring breeze that is warm for versification. All of a sudden I put on my rain shoes, crossing north to the south of the village from roads overgrown with weeds. The couplet on the cloisonné enamel panels differs from the original poem in "Water flows under the bridge that is so beautiful for painting, the spring breeze that is warm for versification." resulting in the meaning of the poem possibly re-interpreted as "Water flows under the weeping willow that is beautiful for painting, the sunny breeze that is warm for versification.". As Yong Rong was known for his love of poetry it is not surprising that he took the liberty of altering the poem. The freedom and motion of the brushstrokes rendered in black enamel framed by gilt-copper wire is a triumph of skill and craftsmanship, demonstrating the utmost ability of the cloisonné ateliers reaching its peak during the Qianlong period. It is also representative of the literati taste in its imperial form. It is interesting to compare three other pairs of cloisonné enamel and applied gilt-bronze couplets, Qianlong, illustrated in The Prime Cultural Relics Collected by Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum: The Enamel Volume, 2007, pp.240-242, pl.17-19: all three are poetic couplets with poems by Cao Wenzhi and Xie Yong; the characters are reserved on wan diaper ground and floral sprays ground; all characters and seal marks are separately applied. This different technique is bolder in visual impact at the expense of the literati subtlety of the black enamelled characters, which are closer in nature to original poetic format rendered in black ink. It is also very likely that the technique of forming the characters in wires and infilled enamel would have posed a far more complex process in comparison to separately made and applied characters as in the other examples. This further reinforces the present lot as an outstanding example. 永瑢 永瑢(1743-1790)，是清高宗乾隆皇帝第六子。因此，從而能推斷出「皇六子私印」只能是永瑢之藏印。永瑢是《四庫全書》的總編輯，也是《二十一種救度佛母贊》的抄寫者。除此之外，他也是著名的書法家和畫家。乾隆二十四年(1760)出繼為慎靖郡王允禧子，封貝勒。到乾隆三十七年(1770)封質郡王，乾隆五十四年(1790)晉封質親王。 永瑢在其畫作中常以「皇六子」自稱，可參考香港佳士得2011年5月31日售出永瑢的十二開冊頁（拍品編號2565），也帶「皇六子」款印。 永瑢多才多藝，他工詩、擅書畫，加上到了乾隆時期掐絲琺瑯的工藝在宮廷發展到了頂峰，可見此對華麗奪目的掐絲琺瑯七言聯幾乎可以確定是由永瑢命人特別為他個人而製的，也有可能這對御製七言聯掛屏是永瑢在重要的場合送給他的父親乾隆皇帝，例如進獻給乾隆帝的賀壽禮。 七言聯 本掛屏上的七言聯「流水垂揚宜畫取，暖風晴日有詩無」源自南宋詩人方岳(1199-1262)的作品《約君用》。在對聯上，詩中的「短橋」改成了「垂楊」，「遲日」改成「晴日」。永瑢學識淵博，精通詩文書畫，不難理解他對古代詩文的改編。 本拍品的掐絲琺瑯掛屏上以黑彩飾一對七言聯，所展示出的字體生機勃發，力度強韌，猶如書法家在宣紙上揮發自如，體現了乾隆時期掐絲琺瑯工藝已達到了頂峰，也顯示了文人品味和宮廷風格息息相關。瀋陽故宮博物院藏三對木框掐絲琺瑯萬字錦地五言聯和七言聯可資比較，分別由曹文埴和謝墉題字，琺瑯錦地上鑲嵌鎏金銅字和鈴印，見武斌和李英健編，《瀋陽故宮博物院院藏文物精粹：琺瑯卷》，遼寧，2007年，頁240-242，圖版17-19。此三對掛屏與本拍品的分別在於本對掛屏在掐絲內填黑彩，所需工藝比鑲嵌鎏金字更為複雜，但更表現出文人拙樸的氣質，是難得一見的典藏重器。