拍品专文
Castiglione was undoubtedly the most influential of the Jesuit artists who served at the Imperial Qing court under three successive emperors: Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong.
Qianlong's regard for this painting takes the form of an inscription in his personal hand wherein he gives the title to the painting, Pingye Mingqiu 'Autumn Cries on the Artemisia Plain'. The presence of eight Qianlong seals on the painting is a very rare occurence - most paintings in the Qianlong Collection are affixed with either three or five seals, each of which appear on prescribed locations on a given painting. James Cahill who gave the Enlgish title to this work explains the aullsion to the Lu Ming or 'Deer Cry' poem in the Shijing (Book of Odes) compiled in the late Western Zhou period in "The Three Zhangs, Yangzhou Beauties, and the Manchu Court", Orientations, October 1996, p. 59-68. It opens with the lines "Ao ao cry the deer, they eat the artemisa on the open ground". Two of the Jiaqing Emperor's seals also appear on this work, indicating a continued regard for Castiglione's continuing popularity in the following reign.
Th painting of two deer has all the characteristic of Castiglione's unique style, blending western techniques with Chinese brushwork. The deer and doe are highly naturalistic in conception with a three dimensional presence, in contrast to the delicate brushwork of the surrounding landscape in a style recalling Song and Yuan painting traditions. The depiction of water in the middle distance which reappears again as a stream in the lower left hand corner is another element found in monumental paintings of the Song period. In Yang Boda's assessment, "Castiglione's new style of painting resembled Chinese gonbi, yet did not deny its Western roots", Orientations, November 1988, p. 44-51.
Another well-known painting with deer is a massive work, The Qianlong Emperor Enjoying Himself, by the court artist Jin Tingbiao, illustrated by Nie Chongzheng et. al., in Qingdai Gongting Huihua, Paintings by Court Artists of the Qing Dynasty, p. 226, no. 59. Nie is of the opinion that Castiglione was very likely responsible for the portrait heads and the deer in this large scale work. The deer are highly comparable in execution to the pair in the present lot. Cahill reads the paired deer motif in the present lot as an imagery of sexual domination in no uncertain terms: "We have here then, still another relic of the Yuanmingyuan, and of the intricate and in some part illicit stag-and-doe, Manchu-and-Han, sex-and-power games that must have been played out there", ibid., October 1996, p. 67.
The depiction of deer is alo highly significant for its tribal iconography and partly accounts for Qianlong's particular interest in this painting. He had revived the tradition of the ritual autumn deer hunt where the primary Manchu skills of archery and equestrianism were displayed in commemoration of their tribal and nomadic origins. The park in the Summer Palace at Chengde was kept fully stocked with deer for this purpose. The ritual is documented in the well-know painting by Castiglione, Deer Hunting Patrol, dated 1741, illustrated by Yu Hui in 'Naturalism in Qing Imperial Group Portraiture', Orientations, July/August 1995, p. 46, fig. 7. The significance of the deer for the Manchus reinforced by the famous and bizarre throne made of deers' antlers in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition, La Cite Interdite, Paris, 1996/7, Catalogue, no. 109. The throne is based on an earlier antler seat made for the second Manchu Emperor, Taizong (1627-43), now in the Shenyang Palace Museum. Qianlong's version dated 1772 is inscribed with an emotional poem he composed paying spiritual homage to his nomadic-hunter ancestors.
Another significant work by Castiglione portrays a single deer in a different context. Entitled, Plucking Lingzhi, this is a portrait painted in 1734 while Qianlong was still a Prince, dressed as a Daoist. Painted in baimiao style, the allusion of the deer is to Shoulao, the deer is to Shoulao, the Star God of Longevity, while an attendant dressed as the Daoist immortal Lan Caihe looks up at him. This auspicious portrayal shows the stag as a passive symbol of longevity along with the lingzhi and the immortal alongside, and is illustrated by Nie et. al., op. cit., p. 146, no. 25.
Castiglione's genius and preeminence is evidenced by the large number of Imperial portraits he was commissioned, particularly those of the Emperor Qianlong both before and after his accession. The well-known work, Pingan Chunxi Tu, or Spring's Peaceful Message, depicts the Yongzheng Emperor handing a sprig of plum blossoms to the young Prince Hongli (Qianlong). Symbolic of the transmission of the Imperial heritage from the Emperor to his heir is illustrated by Wu Hung, "Emperor's Masquerade - 'Costume Portraits' of Yongzheng and Qianlong", Orientations, July/August 1995, p. 25-30, fig. 1. Wu suggests that Castiglione was in fact, Qianlong's official 'face' painter. In addition to 'The Deer Hunting Patrol' above, the other well known works such as Suichao tu, (New Year's Painting), Yuejun tu, (Inspecting the Steeds), Hongli ci hu tu, (Hongli Killing a Tiger), Mashu tu, (Equesterian Skills), illustrated by Yu Hui, op. cit., p. 44-49, and the spectacular Qianlong guan kongque kaiping tu, (Qianlong Watching Peacocks), illustrated by Nie et. al., op. cit., p. 192, no. 42, portray Qianlong in various guises as Emperor, as Keeper of the Manchu traditions, as a Chinese scholar and the Keeper of Han Chinese traditions as well as an affectionate father. The variety of horses, tigers, birds, deer, human figures and architectural backdrops and landscapes in these paintings demonstrate the full scope of Castiglione's artistry.
The present work, 'Autumn Cries on the Artemisia Plain', is also recorded by its title in two historical literary references, the first, the Imperial catalogue published in 1791, Shiqu Baoji Xubian (Valuable Books and Paintings in the Shiqu Pavilion), Volume 2, reprinted in Shanghai, 1988, together with the Midian Zhulin (also of 18th century date). The second, much shorter reference, appears in Hu Jing's Guo Chao Yuan Hua Lu (A Collection of Qing Imperial Paintings), dated 1816, reprinted in Shanghai in 1963 as Volume 8 of Hua Shi Cong Shu (A History of Chinese Paintings).
Qianlong's regard for this painting takes the form of an inscription in his personal hand wherein he gives the title to the painting, Pingye Mingqiu 'Autumn Cries on the Artemisia Plain'. The presence of eight Qianlong seals on the painting is a very rare occurence - most paintings in the Qianlong Collection are affixed with either three or five seals, each of which appear on prescribed locations on a given painting. James Cahill who gave the Enlgish title to this work explains the aullsion to the Lu Ming or 'Deer Cry' poem in the Shijing (Book of Odes) compiled in the late Western Zhou period in "The Three Zhangs, Yangzhou Beauties, and the Manchu Court", Orientations, October 1996, p. 59-68. It opens with the lines "Ao ao cry the deer, they eat the artemisa on the open ground". Two of the Jiaqing Emperor's seals also appear on this work, indicating a continued regard for Castiglione's continuing popularity in the following reign.
Th painting of two deer has all the characteristic of Castiglione's unique style, blending western techniques with Chinese brushwork. The deer and doe are highly naturalistic in conception with a three dimensional presence, in contrast to the delicate brushwork of the surrounding landscape in a style recalling Song and Yuan painting traditions. The depiction of water in the middle distance which reappears again as a stream in the lower left hand corner is another element found in monumental paintings of the Song period. In Yang Boda's assessment, "Castiglione's new style of painting resembled Chinese gonbi, yet did not deny its Western roots", Orientations, November 1988, p. 44-51.
Another well-known painting with deer is a massive work, The Qianlong Emperor Enjoying Himself, by the court artist Jin Tingbiao, illustrated by Nie Chongzheng et. al., in Qingdai Gongting Huihua, Paintings by Court Artists of the Qing Dynasty, p. 226, no. 59. Nie is of the opinion that Castiglione was very likely responsible for the portrait heads and the deer in this large scale work. The deer are highly comparable in execution to the pair in the present lot. Cahill reads the paired deer motif in the present lot as an imagery of sexual domination in no uncertain terms: "We have here then, still another relic of the Yuanmingyuan, and of the intricate and in some part illicit stag-and-doe, Manchu-and-Han, sex-and-power games that must have been played out there", ibid., October 1996, p. 67.
The depiction of deer is alo highly significant for its tribal iconography and partly accounts for Qianlong's particular interest in this painting. He had revived the tradition of the ritual autumn deer hunt where the primary Manchu skills of archery and equestrianism were displayed in commemoration of their tribal and nomadic origins. The park in the Summer Palace at Chengde was kept fully stocked with deer for this purpose. The ritual is documented in the well-know painting by Castiglione, Deer Hunting Patrol, dated 1741, illustrated by Yu Hui in 'Naturalism in Qing Imperial Group Portraiture', Orientations, July/August 1995, p. 46, fig. 7. The significance of the deer for the Manchus reinforced by the famous and bizarre throne made of deers' antlers in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in the exhibition, La Cite Interdite, Paris, 1996/7, Catalogue, no. 109. The throne is based on an earlier antler seat made for the second Manchu Emperor, Taizong (1627-43), now in the Shenyang Palace Museum. Qianlong's version dated 1772 is inscribed with an emotional poem he composed paying spiritual homage to his nomadic-hunter ancestors.
Another significant work by Castiglione portrays a single deer in a different context. Entitled, Plucking Lingzhi, this is a portrait painted in 1734 while Qianlong was still a Prince, dressed as a Daoist. Painted in baimiao style, the allusion of the deer is to Shoulao, the deer is to Shoulao, the Star God of Longevity, while an attendant dressed as the Daoist immortal Lan Caihe looks up at him. This auspicious portrayal shows the stag as a passive symbol of longevity along with the lingzhi and the immortal alongside, and is illustrated by Nie et. al., op. cit., p. 146, no. 25.
Castiglione's genius and preeminence is evidenced by the large number of Imperial portraits he was commissioned, particularly those of the Emperor Qianlong both before and after his accession. The well-known work, Pingan Chunxi Tu, or Spring's Peaceful Message, depicts the Yongzheng Emperor handing a sprig of plum blossoms to the young Prince Hongli (Qianlong). Symbolic of the transmission of the Imperial heritage from the Emperor to his heir is illustrated by Wu Hung, "Emperor's Masquerade - 'Costume Portraits' of Yongzheng and Qianlong", Orientations, July/August 1995, p. 25-30, fig. 1. Wu suggests that Castiglione was in fact, Qianlong's official 'face' painter. In addition to 'The Deer Hunting Patrol' above, the other well known works such as Suichao tu, (New Year's Painting), Yuejun tu, (Inspecting the Steeds), Hongli ci hu tu, (Hongli Killing a Tiger), Mashu tu, (Equesterian Skills), illustrated by Yu Hui, op. cit., p. 44-49, and the spectacular Qianlong guan kongque kaiping tu, (Qianlong Watching Peacocks), illustrated by Nie et. al., op. cit., p. 192, no. 42, portray Qianlong in various guises as Emperor, as Keeper of the Manchu traditions, as a Chinese scholar and the Keeper of Han Chinese traditions as well as an affectionate father. The variety of horses, tigers, birds, deer, human figures and architectural backdrops and landscapes in these paintings demonstrate the full scope of Castiglione's artistry.
The present work, 'Autumn Cries on the Artemisia Plain', is also recorded by its title in two historical literary references, the first, the Imperial catalogue published in 1791, Shiqu Baoji Xubian (Valuable Books and Paintings in the Shiqu Pavilion), Volume 2, reprinted in Shanghai, 1988, together with the Midian Zhulin (also of 18th century date). The second, much shorter reference, appears in Hu Jing's Guo Chao Yuan Hua Lu (A Collection of Qing Imperial Paintings), dated 1816, reprinted in Shanghai in 1963 as Volume 8 of Hua Shi Cong Shu (A History of Chinese Paintings).