Footnotes

Treasury 4, no. 503


水晶內畫鼻煙壺
壺：1750～1850
內畫：周樂元，北京，約1892年


The Wife and Son of Lin Bu

Flawless crystal, ink, and watercolours; with a flat lip and recessed flat foot surrounded by a protruding convex footrim; painted on one main side with a herdboy flying a kite from the back of his water buffalo as it wades through a stream near a rustic bridge with the leaves of a willow dangling down above them, and a single branch of blossoming prunus beyond, the other main side with a crane on a rocky outcrop in front of a blossoming prunus tree with bamboo growing beyond, inscribed in draft script with a poem followed by '[Executed by] Zhou Leyuan', with one seal of the artist, Leyuan, in negative seal script

Bottle: 1750–1850
Painting: Zhou Leyuan, Studio of Lotus-root Fragrance, Xuannan, Beijing, circa 1892
Height: 6.01 cm
Mouth/lip: 0.52/1.74 and 1.6 cm (oval)
Stopper: tourmaline; vinyl collar
Condition: Bottle: perfect. Painting: very minor snuff staining, but otherwise studio condition


Illustration: watercolour by Peter Suart

Provenance:
Sotheby's, London, 6 July, 1965, lot 1
Hugh Moss (1980)
Gerd Lester (1986)

Published:
Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 3, p. 11, lower right
Chinese Snuff Bottles No. 4, pp. 63 and 64, figs. 22 and 23
Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty, no. 223
Forbidden City, No. 6/1983 (22), p. 30
Kleiner 1995, no. 266
1987 exhibition poster
Treasury 4, no. 503
Exhibited:
Hong Kong Museum of Art, October–December 1978
Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, October 1987
Creditanstalt, Vienna, May–June 1993

Commentary:
The herdboy on his water buffalo flying a kite represents a pictorial rendition of the idiomatic expression chunfeng deyi (the spring breeze has its way) which is also an idiomatic expression often used to describe the joyful state of mind of a person who enjoys everything because everything is exactly as they wish. Another interpretation is based upon the kite, flying high in the sky, seemingly making its way to the clouds. Visually and phonetically, this sight is evocative of the idiomatic expression, qingyun delu ([soar above] the azure clouds to make a way). In the past objects bearing this motif were presented as gifts to hopeful civil service examination candidates to wish them good luck or to officials when they attained promotion (see Tsang 1998, p. 17).

On the side with the crane and prunus the poem reads:

Beyond the luxuriant bamboo grove is a slanting branch.
Shimmering moonlight from the sky defines [the contours of its] simple flowers.
Don't say that those who are unattractive in appearance can never find a companion,
[For even] in cold weather a crane will stay with the prunus blossoms.

The last two lines of this poem refer to the well-known recluse and poet, Lin Bu (967–1028), who found companionship in the prunus grove he tended and the crane he kept; the former he regarded as his wife and the latter, his son (see Tsang 1994, pp. 10–11.)

This is another of Zhou's masterpieces in what appears to be an earlier crystal bottle, allowing, as on Treasury 4, nos. 496 and 498, a more expansive 'canvas' for the subjects.

With the specific reference to Lin Bu, it also brings to a common theme for his later years, the inclusion of the resonance of a historical figure and everything he represents to accrue to the work of art, which seems to have inspired Zhou to produce what may be his finest painting of a crane from the entire output. It is also one of his finest renditions of the boy on a water buffalo, in a class with the masterly Treasury 4, nos. 486 and 497. Although undated, it was probably painted in 1892, judging from the fully mature, angular calligraphy and particularly by the signature, which is typical of his 1892 output. It might be a little earlier, but we believe 1892 is by far the most likely period. The only comparable painting of a similar subject, also apparently in an old crystal bottle, is Treasury 4, no. 504, which is inscribed and signed in a similar manner. Both have the typical seals of his later years used extensively, although not exclusively, in that year.


梅妻鶴子

無瑕水晶、墨、水色；平唇、平斂底、突出凸形圈足；一面內畫小溪中一牛童子騎著水牛放風箏，一棵柳樹外可見一枝梅花，另一面內畫一隻鶴立於梅花前，梅樹外可見一叢竹，其上題行書"森森竹外一枝斜，皓月節空寫素華，莫道夜深無伴侶，天寒有鶴守梅花"一首七絕，後署"周樂元"一款與白文"樂元"一篆印

壺：1750～1850
內畫：周樂元，藕香書軒，宣南房舍，北京，約1892年
高：6.01 厘米
口經/唇經：0.52/1.74、1.60 厘米 （橢圓形）
蓋：碧璽，乙烯基座
狀態敘述：壺：完善；內畫：除微不足道的鼻煙沾污外，出齋狀態

有彼德小話 (Peter Suart) 水彩畫

來源：
蘇富比，倫敦，1965年七月6 日，拍賣品號1
莫士撝 (1980)
Gerd Lester (1986)
文獻：
Chinese Snuff Bottles 3, 頁11，右下
Chinese Snuff Bottles 4, 頁63、64，圖22、23
Snuff Bottles of the Ch'ing Dynasty, 編號223
《紫禁城》1983年第6 期（22），頁30
Kleiner 1987, 編號266
展覽海報，1987
Treasury 4, 編號503
展覽：
香港藝術館，1978年10 月至12月
Sydney L. Moss Ltd, 倫敦, 1987年10月
Creditanstalt, 維也納, 1993年5月至6月

說明：
牛童放風箏圖的含意是"春風得意"或"青雲得路"，泛指功成利就，可參見Tsang 1998, 頁17。關於林逋和他的"梅妻鶴子"，鞏參照Tsang 1994, 頁10～11。

本壺是周樂元傑作之一，如同Treasury 4, 編號496和498，舊的水晶壺供應大點的畫幅。所畫的梅妻鶴子這種題目，是周樂元晚年典型的歷史題材，好像有一定文化內涵的題目賦予他靈感，使他畫出一輩子最精彩的鶴。牛童和水牛也畫得好傳神，可以跟Treasury 4, 編號486和497騎牛童圖像的高超藝術相比。看題詩和款識熟練的筆法，我們認識為這是1892年的作品，因為這都的他那年常見的風格。測定為早點的作品也合乎情理，但還是1892年的可能性大。Treasury 4, 編號504的內容很相似，也好像是舊的水晶壺裏畫的，兩件壺都有周樂元1892年常用的印章（當然不只是那年才用的）。