A very rare Imperial poetry album


QianlongComprising six leaves, some with gold-splashed flakes, with a poem composed by the Qianlong emperor, written in fine regular kaishu script calligraphy, signed Liu Yong, with two seals of the calligrapher, all between two square zitan wood covers, the front carved with a six-character title reading Yuti dongtian shenchu 'Imperial Poem Dongtian Shenchu', infilled with gold pigment. 5cm (2in) wide x 5cm (2in) long.
|清乾隆 劉墉書《御題洞天深處》冊頁Provenance: A European private collection, and thence by descent來源：歐洲私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今The poem was composed by the Qianlong emperor and written by Liu Yong 劉墉 (1719-1805), with his seals reading 'Chen' ('Minister' 臣) and 'Yong' (墉), describing the scenery as the emperor walks in the Yuanmingyuan to a branch of the swastika-shaped palace, Wanfang anhe (萬方安和):御題洞天深處武夷窮九曲，方識洞天佳。彷彿虹橋架，依稀毛竹排。益深斯致遠，惟靜與為諧。欲會凝神抱，緣澄出治懷。'Walking to the end of the nine bends of Wuyi, I come to recognise the beauty of Dongtian Pavilion. Such as the rainbow bridge, and faint bamboos lined up.Deeper and further, only respect brings harmony. Desiring to listen with rapt attention, so that I can govern my heart.'A painting from the series Forty Scenes of the Yuanmingyuan, completed in 1744 and now in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, shows the bends of the Wuyi, which refers to the long man-made embankment leading up to the Palace Wanfang anhe, literally meaning 'Peace and Harmony Everywhere'. This unusual swastika-shaped building was constructed on a lake making it cool in summer and warm in winter. The Qianlong emperor was a prolific poet and composed thousands of poems that, taken together, construct an image of the emperor as a wise, erudite yet sensitive ruler. In this poem, the description of beautiful scenery and nature quickly turns into a discussion about respect, harmony and government. The Qianlong emperor draws inspiration here from the upright bamboo and considers how government begins with morality and the example he leads himself. The calligrapher chosen to reinforce the Qianlong emperor's didactic message of moral government could not have been more fitting. Liu Yong, courtesy name Chongru (崇如), pen name Shi'an (石庵), was born in Shandong. He served in a number of high-level positions with a reputation for being incorruptible, including as the Minister of Rites and Minister of War. His love of calligraphy earned him the nickname as the 'Dark Ink Prime Minister' (浓墨宰相). As a man of upright morals, this was believed to have been reflected in his measured, straight, and sturdy calligraphy, reflecting the traditional theory that 'calligraphy resembles the man' (書如其人).The small size of the present lot makes it a particularly prized and intimate work of art; not made to impress Imperial power on others, but rather to be read and contemplated privately to reinforce aspirational virtues.Compare with a related but larger Imperial calligraphic album with poems describing the Wangfang anhe pavilion, Qianlong, which was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4 April 2012, lot 3005.紫檀封面封底，封面鐫隸書「御題洞天深處」，填金彩，摺裝六頁，四頁空白灑金，兩頁手繪花草攢框起格，內楷書乾隆御製詩一首，文曰：御題洞天深處武夷窮九曲，方識洞天佳。彷彿虹橋架，依稀毛竹排。益深斯致遠，惟靜與為諧。欲會凝神抱，緣澄出治懷。臣劉墉敬書鈐印陽文「臣」，陰文「墉」。書體恭謹秀麗，大異劉墉平日書風。此詩見於《欽定日下舊聞考》，《欽定四庫全書》本，史部，卷八十一，頁12。該書原為朱彝尊所著，記載北京風物名勝，乾隆時重編增訂至一百六十卷，包括康雍乾三帝御題詩歌，其中記載圓明園諸景尤詳。「洞天深處」為圓明園萬方安和一景，書內記載：「萬方安和後度橋，折而東，稍北石洞之南為『武陵春色』池，北軒為『壺中日月長』，東為『天然佳妙』，其南廈為『洞天日月』，多佳景。」雍正帝在萬方安和卐字形迴廊一面題有「洞天深處」一匾，或即面對「洞天日月」一側。乾隆帝以雍正所篆匾額為題作九詩，《御題洞天深處》便為其一。法國國家圖書館所藏乾隆九年（1744年）唐岱、沈源合繪之《 圓明園四十景圖詠》第十三景便為萬安方和，畫中或可觀「洞天深處」所對之景。法藏《 圓明園四十景》冊頁裝池和本件拍品頗似，封面、封底皆為紫檀，俱為隸書篆額，填金彩，書體一致，如出一手。內文書體俱為館閣體，為大臣抄錄御製詩之制式，以示恭謹。本品書者劉墉，字崇如，號石庵，諡文清，不僅為乾嘉兩朝重臣，亦為帖學大家。《清稗類鈔》評價劉墉書法：「文清書法，論者譬之以黃鐘大呂之音，清廟明堂之器，推為一代書家之冠。蓋以其融會歷代諸大家書法而自成一家。所謂金聲玉振，集群聖之大成也。其自入詞館以迄登台閣，體格屢變，神妙莫測。」因其「體格屢變」，故不怪乎有《御題洞天深處》之清秀雅麗，誠所謂「神妙莫測」也。此件冊頁形制小巧，或為清宮多寶格所納之物。參考一件尺寸略大之乾隆《御製萬方安和詩》冊，形制和本品一致，封面封底為紫檀，隸書題耑以及內頁所謂綠色花草紋圍欄和本品極似，2012年4月4日售於香港蘇富比，拍品3005。