From January 26th to May 8th, the "Zhong Ming Shengshi: The Forbidden City and Chengde Mountain Resort Tibetan Clocks and Watches Joint Exhibition" was presented in the Exhibition Hall of the Qianqing Palace of the Palace Museum.
The surging news reporter saw at the exhibition site that this exhibition will be the Palace Museum and Chengde Mountain Resort Museum representative clock collection combined exhibition, of which the Palace Museum exhibited 40 pieces of clocks, Chengde Summer Resort Museum exhibited 20 pieces of clocks, the production age continued from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The tinkling of recorded clocks and watches is played in the exhibition hall, making people feel as if they are in another time and space.
Qingqianlong copper gilded dome-style bell
From the 1880s when Western clocks and watches were introduced from the southern coast to the interior to open the history of Chinese watch collection and production, to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, in the past three hundred years, clocks and watches have formed a unique historical feature in China's Ming and Qing dynasties, and have also become a very special and brilliant category in the Qing Palace collection.
Although the era in which the clock is located is not far from the present, it stores the historical information left by the intersection of Chinese and Western cultures, as mentioned in the "Historical Image of Time": "From the surprise brought by the early missionaries to the Chinese and the recognition of the Chinese, from obtaining the right of abode in the Chinese mainland to opening the door of the Chinese Imperial Palace, from the gifts carried by private communication to the precious gifts given to the emperor by the state mission, from the procurement of royal supplies to the trade activities between China and the West, the shadow of the clock can be seen. Clocks and watches spread and were recognized in China at a speed unmatched by any other Western object. The input of clocks and watches not only changed the traditional Chinese timekeeping method, but also the sundials and engravings that were widely used in the past were gradually replaced by more simple and easy-to-use beautiful and exquisite clocks, and more importantly, they had a great impact on the concept of time Chinese. ”
The surging news reporter saw at the scene that the Exhibition Hall of the Palace Museum Qianqing Palace East Hall is a narrow and long exhibition space, and there is a wall in the middle to divide the rectangular space into two exhibition halls, the front exhibition hall mainly presents the clocks and watches made by China itself, and the back exhibition hall focuses on the Western clocks and watches that have been handed down to the Qing Palace in the past three hundred years and are carefully treasured, such as britain, France, Switzerland and other countries. The details of the clocks and watches are elaborate and the decoration is gorgeous, the lighting of the exhibition hall does not need to be more brilliant, and the exquisite clocks and watches have become dazzling. It is worth mentioning that this exhibition is a joint exhibition of the Forbidden City and the Chengde Summer Resort, which is rare to see, and the two, as the center of politics and court life in the Qing Dynasty, have collected a large number of self-chiming clocks and watches in history, with the same root and the same origin, and it is difficult to distinguish between each other. The tinkling of recorded clocks is also played in the exhibition hall, making people feel like they are in another time and space.
Exhibition site
Three hundred years, three central areas
In the three hundred years of spread history of clocks and watches, in terms of the production of clocks and watches, three central areas have gradually been formed, namely the Beijing area dominated by the Qing Palace Office, the Lingnan area centered on Guangzhou, and the Nanjing, Suzhou, and Shanghai areas
The Yangtze River Delta region centered on the ground.
Each of these three regions has its own characteristics. Among them, the Qing Palace Office was mainly for the service of the court, which was established during the Kangxi Period, and there were dozens of royal production workshops under its jurisdiction, of which the Bell Office was responsible for making, repairing and transforming clocks and watches according to the emperor's will. Making bells was at its peak in the Qianlong period, producing a wide variety of products with different uses, such as more bells, large self-chiming bells, greeting clocks, crown bells and fan clocks. The characteristics of the clocks we are talking about now are largely summarized based on the existing imperial clocks with clear understanding of the "Qianlong year system", in other words, the characteristics of the "Qianlong Imperial Clock".
The imperial clocks are mostly made of wood structures, the wood used is mainly rosewood, and the shape is mostly pavilions, platforms, buildings, pavilions, and bell plates made of enamel or copper gilding, and the layout is generally the same: the middle circle is yellow painted flowers and grasses or copper gilding, with three or five winding holes, and the upper half has an arc-shaped open light. The opening place of the enamel bell plate is the blue edge of the white enamel, which contains the inscription "Qianlong Year System", and the opening place of the copper gilded bell plate is a protruding copper sheet on which the inscription "Qianlong Year System" is engraved.
Wooden building style time is more clock
Guangzhou is the first place in China to contact the chiming bell, and it is also one of the important centers of folk mechanical clock manufacturing in the Qing Dynasty. Guangzhou's unique geographical environment, coupled with the opening of the sea ban in the middle of the Kangxi Dynasty, made Guangzhou the center of Sino-Western trade at that time, and a large number of Western clocks and watches imported from foreign countries were distributed locally. In addition, Guangzhou also produced mechanical clocks and watches, and became an important base for China's watch production during the Qianlong period.
Judging from the existing collections of the Qing Palace, the most prominent feature of the Guangzhong is its brightly colored "Guang enamel", with yellow, green, blue and other colors, and the decorative patterns on the enamel are fine and complex. In addition, Guangzhong has very strong ethnic and local characteristics. The appearance is mostly pavilions, platforms, buildings, pavilions and other architectural styles, or gourds, pots, bottles and other utensils with auspicious meanings; and with activity toys, text couplets, or scenery collocations, etc., it has the meaning of auspicious blessings. For example, three sheep mean "three yang kaitai". In addition, there are water methods, flowers, running people and other activities on the clock. In addition to enamel clocks, Guangzhou also produces other types of clocks, such as lacquer frame clocks, gold paint clocks, rosewood frame clocks, wall clocks, etc.
Copper gold-plated fancy rack watch
Copper gilded inlaid enamel rolling curtain white ape offering bell
Guangzhou Clock
Although the Yangtze River Delta region also has a long time to produce self-chiming bells, but has not been large-scale production, until the Jiaqing period to form their own independent system, its products are mainly based on interstitial clocks, the vast majority of sales local, and the exquisite and elegant Jiangnan culture characteristics complement each other.
Suzhou Clocks
A rich and colorful Western clock
Clocks and watches were a precious luxury in the Qing Dynasty, and were therefore loved by the imperial palace and nobles. According to the "Qianlong Dynasty Tribute File", in the twenty-second year of Qianlong (1757), Li Yongbiao, the governor of Guangdong Customs, and Li Shiyao, the general of Guangzhou, paid tribute to "a glass-encrusted foreign self-chiming music bell and a gilded foreign scenery watch pavilion". The Qianlong Emperor saw the tribute and issued an edict: "The gilded yangjing pavilion that has been entered this time is very good, and it is better to find a few more pieces that are as good as this, and then there are a few pieces of this large and good one, and there is no need to worry about the price." If you find it, yu Duanyang tribute to a few things. Thanks. ”
In "Dream of the Red Chamber", "self-chiming bell" has also been mentioned many times, such as Feng Jie said: "The birthday of the old lady before, the wife was anxious for two months, and she couldn't think of a way." Or did I mention it--there were still some big copper and tin guys upstairs in the back floor who had four or five boxes, and they took it to get three hundred and two pieces of silver before they swept away the wife's shame. I know it: the 'golden chiming bell' sold for five hundred and sixty taels of silver. ”
The clocks and watches in the original exhibition photos of the Forbidden City are also presented in this exhibition
The Palace Museum has dozens of clocks and watches made by James Cox, a famous British watchmaker in the 18th century, which is rare at home and abroad, some of which are completely Western style, and some of which integrate the characteristics of Oriental culture, reflecting the Western watch industry's caterer to China's needs and aesthetics at that time, and is the most authoritative first-hand information for studying his work.
British Copper gilded goat pack table
British copper gilded griffin mirror watch
British Copper Gilded Countryside Scenery Water Law Clock Partial
In the 18th century, British clocks and watches were sold to the mainland in large quantities through Guangzhou Guangdong Customs, most of which were coated with copper gilded and inlaid with colorful stone flowers, full of gorgeous and noble feelings. Colorful and colorful shapes, making good use of various animals as a base, placing the dial on its upper part, and the lower part is decorated with painted landscape paintings and enamel figure paintings, or carving mountain stone animals. The theme of the watch is very extensive, either for the European social customs, or for the mainland traditional auspicious theme to cater to the mentality of the Chinese. In addition to the main function of timekeeping, these clocks and watches are generally equipped with playing systems such as music, water method, flower turning, running people, fowl play, bird song and so on.
Various animal ornaments on British clocks
The exhibition is located in the East Hall of the Qianqing Palace of the Palace Museum and will be open to the public from January 26 to May 8. According to the needs of epidemic prevention and control, the exhibition implements reservation admission, with a daily limit of 1,000 people, until the quota is full.