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Auspicious Wishes for Sons and Grandsons
Rosemary Scott - International Academic Director, Asian Art
The depiction of children in Chinese art has its roots in Buddhist beliefs, influenced by Daoism. However, by the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) images of healthy young boys at play were no longer confined to religious art and were already a popular secular theme on the Chinese decorative arts, being viewed as an auspicious symbol associated with the wish for sons and grandsons, and thus the continuation of the family line as well as the prosperity of the family. Boys at play, especially carrying lotus flowers or leaves can be seen painted on late 8th-early 9th century stonewares from the Changsha kilns, such as the 9th century ewer excavated at Changsha, Hunan in 1983.1 Little boys playing in a garden can also be seen in repousee work within ruyi-shaped cartouches on a small Tang dynasty silver three-legged jar excavated in Jiangsu province.2 The depiction of young boys at play became even more popular on the ceramics of the Song and Jin dynasties (AD 960-1279, and AD 1115-1234, respectively), when particularly lively examples were painted on the upper surfaces of Cizhou pillows. These pillows were, however, usually decorated with only one child at play, as in the case of the example in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York, on which is painted a small boy riding a hobby horse made of bamboo.3
The theme of groups of children at play does not seem to have been much employed in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) or in the early Ming in the reign of the Hongwu emperor (1368-98), but appears on rare, wide, porcelain bowls of the Yongle reign (1403-24), such as that in the Tianminlou collection decorated with sixteen boys playing in a garden (fig. 1).4 A similar arrangement of the design can be seen on wide bowls of the Xuande reign (1426-35), such as those in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei.5 In the Chenghua reign, similar depictions of sixteen children are painted on deeper bowls with less wide mouths, such as the current example. This decorative theme remained popular thereafter.
The Chenghua Emperor, who came to the throne at the age of eighteen, was greatly concerned about his lack of a male heir. His favourite, powerful, consort, Lady Wan Guifei was some seventeen years older than the emperor, and, after losing her own child, was determined that none of his other consorts would usurp her position by producing an heir to the throne. She therefore took drastic measures to ensure that no other woman in the palace gave the emperor a son. Eventually one consort, Lady Qi, succeeded in hiding her pregnancy and sequestered her son until he was five years old to protect him from Lady Wan. The child survived to succeed the Chenghua Emperor, taking the reign name Hongzhi (1488-1505). Aware only of his lack of male heirs, particularly in the latter part of his reign, the Chenghua Emperor favoured decoration that included auspicious messages regarding sons and grandsons.
While the boys on the current bowl are engaged in play of different kinds, their activities have also been carefully chosen for their auspicious connotations. For example one boy is depicted holding a lotus leaf over the head of another like a parasol. While the parasol might imply his future high rank, the lotus leaf also provides a rebus or visual pun. One word for lotus in Chinese is lian which is a homophone for a word meaning continuous or successive, and thus combined with a boy child suggests the successive birth of sons and grandsons. Another Chinese word for lotus is pronounced he, which sounds like the word for harmony, suggesting that there will be harmony among the sons and grandsons. Four other boys on the bowl are depicted grouped around a fish bowl - one holding a fish he has caught, while others have their hands in the water attempting to catch fish. In Chinese the word for fish is pronounced yu, the same as a word for abundance and so suggesting wealth. The word for fish also sounds like the word for jade, while the fish being caught by the boys are probably intended to be gold fish - suggesting jade and gold. These two precious materials also great suggest wealth.
In another group a small boy holds a writing brush in one hand and a sprig of flowering cassia in the other. This suggests scholarly achievement, since in China the writing brush was regarded as a symbol of scholarly pursuits and a successful official career. Legend has it that the highest successful candidate in the imperial examinations would be awarded a sprig of cassia by Chang E, the moon goddess. Another of the boys holds a fly whisk, which is associated with whisking away contamination and the problems of the world - suggesting that his life will be pure and trouble free.
Further around the bowl another boy is shown riding a hobby horse made of bamboo. This has several auspicious connotations. The term 'on top of a horse' mashang also means 'immediately', and so a young boy riding a horse suggests the imminent birth of a boy. The horse is additionally a symbol of peace. The bamboo from which the hobby horse is made is also a symbol of peace, but in addition it symbolizes humility, fidelity and particularly integrity. Another of the boys on the bowl appears to be playing with an insect called a katydid in English and guoguo in Chinese, which is close in pronunciation of the term for a brother, and suggests the phrase jiao gege - calling for a brother - indicating that a family has more than one son.
Thus, while the scene on this bowl is visually pleasing and charmingly painted, all its symbolism refers to the birth of many sons and grandsons, who will have intelligence, integrity, and a harmonious long life - precisely reflecting the wishes of the emperor during whose reign the bowl was made.
1 Illustrated by W. Watson, Tang and Liao Ceramics, New York, 1984, fig. 95.
2 Illustrated in Tang dai jin yin qi, Beijing, 1985, no. 208.
3 Illustrated in A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989 revised edition, p. 94, no. 89.
4 Illustrated in Chinese Porcelain - The S.C. Ko Tianminlou Collection, Hong Kong, 1987, p. 43, no. 15.
5 Illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Ming dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum, vol. 1, Tokyo, 1977, nos. 63 and 64.
明成化 青花十六子嬰戲圖盌
CHENGHUA PERIOD (1465-1487)
細節
盌敞口，深弧腹，圈足。外壁通景繪庭園嬰戲圖，十六童子三五一組，姿態生動，栩栩如生。口沿外雙線，下飾如意雲紋。足牆飾回紋。
此器畫面兒童眾多，呈現出熱鬧歡快的喜慶氣氛。陶瓷上嬰戲圖自宋代起步發展，北宋末畫師蘇漢臣擅繪佛像、人物，其中尤以童嬰題材最獲讚賞，北宋青白瓷亦見刻花嬰戲紋。嬰戲圖至明清兩代到達鼎峰，從簡單的一、兩個幼童到百多個，人物皆神態活潑，場面熱鬧。嬰戲圖反映了古往今來祈求人壽年豐、多子多福、望子成龍的美好願望。
參考景德鎮御窰遺址出土的相關嬰戲圖盌，見1993年香港出版《成窰遺珍—景德鎮珠山出土成化官窰瓷器》，圖版C72、C73、C90號。另見臺北故宮博物院收藏數例，盌上童子數目各異，均帶成化款，載於2003年台北出版《成化瓷器特展圖錄》，圖版19-21號。其他如本盌之無款例子，包括英國國立維多利亞與艾爾伯特博物館、倫敦大維德中國藝術基金會、大英博物館收藏。另一無款例子1993 年10 月25 日於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品723 號。
此器源自A.D. Brankston（1909-1941 年）舊藏；1953 年購自倫敦H.R.N. Norton。曾展出於倫敦東方陶瓷學會1953-
54 年舉辦《Loan Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 14th to 19th Centuries》展覽，圖錄編號118。著錄於1987年克羅伊登博物館出版《Riesco Collection of Chinese Ceramics Handlist》，編號93。
里埃斯科收藏編號220m。
此器畫面兒童眾多，呈現出熱鬧歡快的喜慶氣氛。陶瓷上嬰戲圖自宋代起步發展，北宋末畫師蘇漢臣擅繪佛像、人物，其中尤以童嬰題材最獲讚賞，北宋青白瓷亦見刻花嬰戲紋。嬰戲圖至明清兩代到達鼎峰，從簡單的一、兩個幼童到百多個，人物皆神態活潑，場面熱鬧。嬰戲圖反映了古往今來祈求人壽年豐、多子多福、望子成龍的美好願望。
參考景德鎮御窰遺址出土的相關嬰戲圖盌，見1993年香港出版《成窰遺珍—景德鎮珠山出土成化官窰瓷器》，圖版C72、C73、C90號。另見臺北故宮博物院收藏數例，盌上童子數目各異，均帶成化款，載於2003年台北出版《成化瓷器特展圖錄》，圖版19-21號。其他如本盌之無款例子，包括英國國立維多利亞與艾爾伯特博物館、倫敦大維德中國藝術基金會、大英博物館收藏。另一無款例子1993 年10 月25 日於香港佳士得拍賣，拍品723 號。
此器源自A.D. Brankston（1909-1941 年）舊藏；1953 年購自倫敦H.R.N. Norton。曾展出於倫敦東方陶瓷學會1953-
54 年舉辦《Loan Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 14th to 19th Centuries》展覽，圖錄編號118。著錄於1987年克羅伊登博物館出版《Riesco Collection of Chinese Ceramics Handlist》，編號93。
里埃斯科收藏編號220m。
來源
A.D. Brankston (1909-1941)
H.R.N. Norton, London, 1953
Raymond F.A. Riesco Collection, no. 220m
H.R.N. Norton, London, 1953
Raymond F.A. Riesco Collection, no. 220m
出版
金玉和合連生貴子
蘇玫瑰 亞洲藝術部資深學術顧問
中國藝術的童子紋飾源自佛教信仰，後再受道教影響。至唐代嬰戲圖已脫離宗教藝術的範疇，成為日常裝飾藝術流行的主題，寓意兒孫滿堂、家族綿延。唐代長沙窰硬陶常見繪飾童子持蓮花或蓮葉，一例見1983年湖南長沙出土唐代水注。(1)庭院嬰戲圖亦見於江蘇省出土一件唐代銀製如意式開光凸花三足罐。(2)宋金時代陶瓷嬰戲圖更為盛行，經常作為磁州窰枕的紋飾。這些陶枕往往只繪單個童子，參考紐約大都會博物館收藏一件童子騎竹馬圖枕。(3)
元至明洪武年間瓷器甚少出現群嬰圖，後始見於珍罕的永樂窰寬口盌，例如天民樓收藏一件永樂庭園十六嬰戲圖盌。(4)臺北故宮博物院收藏一件宣德盌，童子佈局大致相同。(5) 本盌則為成化窰例子，深腹，口部不寬。自成化朝起此紋飾一直風行下去。
成化皇帝十八歲登基，一直對未有繼位人而耿耿於懷。他的寵嬪萬貴妃比他年長十八歲。萬貴妃所生的孩子夭折後，她亦不允許其他妃嬪誕下子嗣，以免自己失勢。妃嬪中紀氏隱藏懷孕的消息，順利誕下兒子，並將他收藏撫養至五歲，避過了萬貴妃的加害，後來皇子繼位為弘治皇帝。成化皇帝後期深恐後繼無人，尤其偏愛寓意兒孫滿堂的吉祥紋飾。
本+K5盌繪嬰戲圖，童子各有姿態，他們不同的活動別具寓意。一人持蓮蓋於另一人頭上，作持傘狀，寓意高官進爵。蓮諧音「連」，持蓮童子一般象徵連生貴子。蓮又稱荷，諧音「和」，帶子孫和合之意。另四童子圍觀魚缸，一人捉著魚，其他人仍探手入缸撈魚，魚諧音「餘」，寓意富貴；另可作「玉」音，童子忙捉的應是金魚，諧音「金玉」，同樣象徵富貴。
再看另一組童子，一人持筆，一人持桂枝，寓意科場得意。毫筆比喻文人風雅，官運亨通；桂枝則代表傳說應考得中之人，會得嫦娥蟾宮折桂。再一人手持塵笏，塵笏比喻拂除世俗雜質及煩惱，寓意人生純潔無憂。
另有童子戲騎竹馬，應具多層寓意，騎馬比喻馬上，童子騎馬即馬上添丁。馬又蘊含平安之意，竹子更比喻謙遜、忠誠、正直。再有童子玩戲蟈蟈，蟈諧音「哥」，又喻叫哥哥，寓意家庭兄弟眾多。此器紋飾場面吉慶歡愉、人丁興旺，正祝願著兒孫聰敏正直、長命安年。
1 W. Watson, Tang and Liao Ceramics, New York, 1984, fig. 95.
2 1985 年北京出版《唐代金銀器》，編號208。
3 A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1989 revised edition, p. 94, no. 89.
4 1987 年香港出版《天民樓藏瓷．上》，編號15。
5 1977 年東京出版《明瓷名品圖錄》卷一，編號63-64。
展覽
Oriental Ceramic Society, Loan Exhibition of Chinese Blue and White Porcelain 14th to 19th Centuries, London, 16 December 1953-23 January 1954, Catalogue, no. 118
榮譽呈獻
Ruben Lien
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