Lot 3629. A Magnificent Imperial Kesi Commemorating The Qianlong Emperor's Eightieth Birthday, Seal Marks And Period Of Qianlong, 312.5 x 145 cm. Estimate upon request. Photo: Sotheby's.

skilfully and meticulously woven with a powerful large shou character in black against a beige ground, below five seals, respectively reading Qianlong yulan zhibao ('Treasure appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor'), Bishu shanzhuang ('Mountain Estate for Escaping the Heat'), Bazheng maonian zhibao ('Seal of the Eighty-year-old Man Mindful of the Eight Requirements'), Xintian zhuren ('The Master of Faith in Heaven'), Wufu wudaitang guxi tianzi bao ('Treasure of the Son of Heaven at Seventy at the Hall of the Five Blessings in Five Generations'), framed by a yellow border well woven in multi-coloured threads depicting eleven dragons chasing 'flaming pearls', each of the mythical beasts exquisitely picked out in gold and rendered in different postures, one depicted coiling around a 'flaming pearl' at the centre of the upper border, flanked by two striding sinuously, some rendered soaring upwards with the neck outstretched, all admist red, green, blue, yellow and aubergine ruyi cloud scrolls, the mount vibrantly decorated with bats in flight amidst sprigs of peaches and various floral sprays, bearing peony, lingzhi and narcissus blooms, all against a rich ruby-red ground, each of the cloisonné enamel scroll ends decorated with four medallions respectively enclosing a character of the reign mark - 312.5 by 145 cm, 123 by 57 in.

Provenance: Christie's Hong Kong, 27th April 1997, lot 81. 

A 'Longevity' Kesi Scroll of the Qianlong Emperor 
Yan Yong
Researcher, Department of Court Arts, Palace Museum, Beijing

On this kesi scroll, a large shou ('longevity') character is woven in running script in ink-black threads onto the ground. The character is surrounded by four medallions decorated with yellow clouds and golden dragons. The upper medallion contains a frontal dragon and two dragons depicted in motion. The lower medallion contains two additional dragons depicted in motion, and the left and right medallions each contain three additional ones. The tiantou and ditou are both decorated in kesi with purplish red lingzhi emblems symbolising longevity; each emblem consists of lingzhi fungus, narcissus, bamboo, a peach, five-coloured bats, and other motifs. Above the shou character are impressions of five of the Qianlong Emperor’s seals. From left to right, they read respectively Qianlong yulan zhi bao, Bishu shanzhuang, Bazhengmao nian zhibao, Xintian zhuren, and Wufu wudai tang Guxi tianzi bao. The roller ends on both sides in enamelled lotus-patterned caps and is carved with the inscription Qianlong nian zhi.

The shou character is grand in scale and delicate in its kesi execution. The composition lacks any passage resembling brushwork and is virtually entirely executed in flat areas in the pingge technique. The long vertical strokes are secured with the tasuo technique, i.e. with one to several dozen tatting threads that fasten the seams between the character and the ground and prevent them from splitting open. This tatting work is intricate and painstaking, executed tidily with a nimble shuttle. The shou character is diligently structured and composed, with robust and highly legible strokes that change fluidly and naturally in thickness and direction. It faithfully reproduces both the form and the spirit of the original brush-written calligraphy, demonstrating a high degree of sophistication in its kesi technique. 

On the medallions, motifs of colourful clouds and golden dragons are woven with five-colour threads and gold threads utilising kejin, kelin, sanlan kefa, and other techniques. The dragons are woven with gold threads in the kesi technique, and have a shimmering luminosity. Both the dragon and the cloud motifs are typical of the Qianlong period in form and spirit.

The tiantou and ditou feature motifs of lingzhi and five bats, both with auspicious connotations of longevity, executed on a purplish-red ground in five-coloured threads utilising such techniques as pingke, gouke, and changduanji. The motifs suggest the words ling ('spiritual'), xian ('immortal' from shuixian or narcissus), and zhu (meaning 'wish' and a homophone of zhu or bamboo), and the peaches symbolise longevity. Together they form a rebus for lingxian zhushou, i.e. 'immortals wishing [the recipient] longevity.' Bats are called fu in Chinese, a homophone for 'good fortune,' and the five bats thus form a rebus for wufu pengshou, i.e. 'five blessings offering longevity.' All these symbols and rebuses convey the auspicious wish for longevity and endless good fortune.

The entire vertical scroll is centred around the shou character. The gold dragons in the medallions symbolise the emperor’s supreme authority and power. The auspicious motifs in the tiantou and ditou express a wish for longevity and good fortune. In regards to colour, the medallions are scintillating and eye-catching, the tiantou and ditou are colourful in an understated way. The two form an eye-catching but harmonious and aesthetically pleasing contrast. 

It is particularly noteworthy that the entire scroll, from the centrepiece of the shou character and the medallions to the tiantou and ditou, is modelled after the mounting of painting and calligraphy scrolls. Painting and calligraphy differ from the vast majority of pictorial tapestries in notable ways. In the latter, the centrepiece is made from paper or silk, and medallions from different materials, such as silk. These are mounted and then combined in two or more different procedures. The present work, however, does not consist of multiple individually mounted parts, but is instead an integral tapestry woven together. In other words, this kesi scroll reproduces not only the appearance of painting and calligraphy scrolls but also their mounting methods. This is so subtle as to be easily missed. An immense technical feat involving an enormous expenditure of time, labour, and material resources, it is possible only for an imperial commission. It is also evidence of the sophistication of kesi and their status as prized objects during the Qing dynasty.

Moreover, at 322 by 147 cm, the present work is monumental. Following the height of the Song Dynasty, the art of kesi reached a peak during the mid- and late-Qianlong period, reflecting the strength of the Qing empire. Only during this period did monumental kesi tapestries appear, including the following: a Qianlong-period nine-panel tongjing screen measuring 416 by 140 cm and currently in the Palace Museum, Beijing; a kesi tapestry depicting Laozi and a calf, measuring 329 by 137 cm; a kesi tapestry depicting Shakyamuni bearing an inscription by Qianlong, measuring 206 by 86 cm; a tapestry depicting the auspicious rebus sanduo youqing, measuring 32 by 417 cm; a kesi tapestry after Qiu Ying’s painting of the Ode to Red Cliff, measuring 30 by 498 cm; a kesi tapestry of Qianlong’s calligraphy of Shiquan Laoren zhi baoshuo, measuring 30 by 281 cm; a kesi tapestry of Qianlong’s calligraphy of Lama shuo, measuring 35 by 444 cm; a kesi tapestry of calligraphy of Jiedetang qianhou ji, measuring 32 by 300 cm; a kesi tapestry scroll with embroidery of Jiuyang xiaohan tu, measuring 212 by 112 cm; a kesi tapestry with embroidery depicting the Three Star Gods, measuring 412 by 135 cm, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei; a Qianlong-period kesi triptych depicting the Buddhas of the Three Ages, measuring 300 by 150 cm, at the Palace of Fontainebleau, Paris; a kesi tapestry scroll with embroidery depicting the Three Star Gods, measuring 220 by 86 cm, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The Qianlong-period Imperial Compilation of the Lanting Xu Imperial Collection of Documents woven in kesi, offered in these rooms on 8 October 2008 and measuring 1714.5 cm in length, is the longest known premodern kesi work and of exceeding rarity. The above are all outstanding examples of Qing-dynasty monumental kesi and reflect the breath-taking sophistication of Qianlong-period kesi.

The present work’s monumental size, virtuosic execution, and refinement make it another prime artifact of the Qing golden age of kesi art. Moreover, kesi tapestries representing the shou character are exceedingly rare, and such fine examples even rarer. The only extant comparable work is a kesi scroll bearing a large shou character at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, measuring 208 by 132.6 cm (see Huang Nengfu, ed., Zhongguo meishu quanji: Yin ran zhi xiu [Complete series on Chinese art: printing, dyeing, weaving and embroidery], vol. 2, Beijing, 1987, p. 164, fig.1). Zhu Qiling, in Qing neifu cang kesi shuhua lu [Kesi paintings and calligraphy from the Qing court collection], records a total of 489 kesi works modelled after painting and calligraphy. Among them only two feature the shou character. The first is a hanging screen, and the second is the aforementioned work in Taipei (see Zhu Qiling, ‘Qing neifu cang kesi shuhua lu’, Huang Binhong and Deng Shi, eds, Meishu congshu [Compendium of art], Shanghai, 1936, 4th edition, 1947, part 4, book 1, vol. 1, pp. 80, 82). For these reasons, the present work on offer is very precious, combining calligraphy and kesi in a seamless and virtuosic manner. Alongside the Taipei kesi scroll, it bears witness to the richness and sophistication of Qianlong-period kesi art.

fig.1. Kesi ‘shou’ scroll, Qing dynasty © Collection of National Palace Museum, Taipei

Among the five imperial seals impressed on the present work, the one reading Wufu wudaitang Guxi Tianzi bao was made after 1784, when the 74-year-old Qianlong had a great-great-great grandson. By the year 1787, Qianlong had made plaques reading Wufu wudai tang and the aforementioned seal to celebrate and commemorate having 'five generations in the same hall.' He also wrote the essay Wufu wudai tang ji. In it he wrote that having 'five generations in the same hall' was a rare auspicious omen throughout time and across cultures, and that his unusual good fortune was due to his devotion to his subjects and diligence in his duties. He also expressed the wish that his descendants would remember his teaching and be diligent and conscientious, so as to ensure his lineage’s good fortune and the continual mandate of the Qing dynasty.

The seal reading Bazhengmao nian zhi bao ['Seal of the Eighty-year-old Man Mindful of the Eight Requirements'] was created especially for the Qianlong Emperor's eightieth birthday. Bazheng refers to the eight main charges of a ruler as described in the Hongfan ['Great Plan'] chapter of Shangshu: food, finances, rituals, housing, education, safety, pilgrimages, and war. These later became criteria for just rule. Qianlong personally wrote a record of this seal, 'At the age of seventy, I used a line from Du Fu to make a seal reading Guxi tianzi zhi bao. Soon afterwards I made a seal reading Youri zizi, expressing my resolve to remain diligent as a ruler. Thanks to Heaven’s blessings, I have not suffered major injuries or illnesses. After this birthday I will have lived for another decade. Thinking to this I have written about the celebrations of my eightieth birthday and ordered it carved on seals to complement my various imperial brushes. All this is because I am mindful of the Eight Requirements in Hongfan.' 'The Quli says that [a man of] eighty years is called mao, meaning ‘old and impaired in wisdom.’ Now that I have reached the age of eighty, grateful to Heaven for bestowing me good fortune, I am healthy and strong in body. I deal with thousands of affairs in a single day but show no impairment in my mind. I must continue to motivate myself.' Therefore he commissioned a seal reading Ziqiang buxi ['ceaselessly strive to strengthen oneself'] as a secondary seal to Baozhengmao nian zhi bao to express his resolve to conduct himself according to the 'eight requirements' of the ruler and strengthen himself even at old age.

Xintian zhuren ['The Master of Faith in Heaven'] was one of Qianlong’s sobriquets and expresses the notion that 'one who follows Heaven prospers, and one who defies Heaven perishes.' Created in 1786, this seal was intimately connected to Qianlong’s pacification of the Dzungar Khanate and Hui rebels in the northwest frontier. This seal also indicated the eighty-year-old emperor’s pride in his 'Ten Great Military Campaigns.'

The seal reading Bishu shanzhuang ['Mountain Estate for Escaping the Heat'] was carved after the middle period of Qianlong’s reign. Its impression on the present work indicates that it was once used or kept at the Mountain Estate for Escaping the Heat in Chengde.

The impressions of the above seals, among the most important in Qianlong’s late life, on the present kesi scroll hint at the emperor’s state of mind as he contemplated this birthday gift during the last stage of his life. At the same time, the seal impressions also provide important evidence for the authentication and dating of the scroll, as well as its past locations and user.

From time immemorial, longevity was a common wish for humans. The Hongfan chapter articulates the 'five blessings' as longevity, prosperity, health and tranquillity, an inclination towards the morally good, and living fully one’s allotted years (i.e. avoiding unnatural death). The fundamental human yearning for longevity is expressed also in various chapters of the Classic of Poetry. Qianlong opens his Ningshougong ming ['Memorial on the Palace of Tranquil Longevity'] by saying that 'longevity is foremost among the five blessings.' 

For this reason, Qing-dynasty emperors organised major celebratory activities around birthdays. Of foremost importance were the emperors’ decade birthdays, including in particular Kangxi’s sixtieth and Qianlong’s seventieth and eightieth, all of which were commemorated. Among the Qing imperial family, Kangxi, Qianlong’s birth mother Empress Dowager Chongqing, Qianlong, the Jiaqing Emperor, and Empress Dowager Cixi enjoyed multiple major birthday celebrations. Qianlong alone enjoyed four such events during his lifetime.

On these occasions, court officials were required to submit various extravagant tributes to the emperor, and among them were many kesi works. In the first lunar month of 1790, Qianlong wrote in running script Bazhengmao nian zhibao ji. Sometime before his birthday in the eighth lunar month, officials sent this reproduction of Qianlong’s calligraphy in kesi as a gift to the emperor. The high official Hu Jitang commissioned a kesi album reproducing Baodian fushu, a compilation of impressions of 120 seals made from Shoushan stone, and a kesi album reproducing a compilation of auspicious wishes. Prince Yongyan, Heir Apparent and the future Jiaqing Emperor, also sent his father a kesi tapestry depicting the Three Star Gods. All this indicates that kesi works were some of the most significant tributes to the emperor at the Qing court.

The design of the present kesi scroll, featuring the shou character amidst auspicious motifs, expresses the longstanding Chinese preoccupation with longevity. It was very likely a tribute from a high official to the emperor on the occasion of his eightieth-birthday celebrations. The impressions of five of Qianlong’s seals on the work suggest that the Emperor deeply cherished it for its rich cultural content and distinctive craftsmanship.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 05 avr. 2017, 02:30 PM