introduction
The practice of transmedia is not uncommon in the history of Chinese art. The practice of transmedia materials became a kind of consciousness in the court art of the Qing Dynasty, and the technique became more skilled.
The materials of tea sets practiced in the cross-media materials of the Qianlong Dynasty were restricted by function, mainly focusing on three types: porcelain, lacquer and jade. In practice, the final results of these three materials are not consistent, some of them obliterate the boundaries between the materials, and some highlight the characteristics of the materials.
The practice of these three materials is not necessarily for practical reasons, and some are only used for daily furnishings in the court. Moreover, the tea sets practiced in the cross-media practice of the Qianlong Dynasty are not limited to the current works, but are extended to the recombination of ancient utensils and are given new meanings. This "mix and match" style can better reflect the efforts of Emperor Qianlong to communicate the past and the present, as well as the changes in aesthetics and mood.
First, start with the Sanqing poem tea pot
One of Emperor Qianlong's favorite teas is Sanqing tea, which once gave a poem, saying: Sanqing tea is called Sanqing in the name of snow water and plum blossom pine fruit Buddha's hand.
The poem "Sanqing Tea" frequently appeared on tea sets of various materials in the Qianlong Dynasty, mainly porcelain, lacquerware, jade, etc. The porcelain tea set was the first to appear in the poem "Sanqing Tea".
The firing of the "Sanqing Tea" poem tea pot refers to the "Jiayao Blue and White Ground Character Skimming Cup", but the pattern of the cup is slightly changed, and the poem words and style are added at the same time.
"Sanqing Tea" poem tea ou is the most classic style of tea set in the Qianlong Dynasty, not only used by the Qianlong Emperor, but also given to the ministers who participated in the tea banquet of Chonghua Palace. The "Sanqing Tea" poem tea pot has also become the object of imitation of tea sets in later generations, such as camellia pattern tea bowls, lotus pattern tea bowls, etc.
Both of them are based on the "Sanqing Tea" poem tea ou, and the ornamentation and poetry are replaced. For example, the camellia pattern tea bowl, the archives of the manufacturing office record the process of changing the pattern.
By comparing the "Sanqing Tea" poem tea pot and the tea bowl with the camellia pattern, it is found that the two are similar, but the pattern inside the cup and the imperial poem on the outer wall are different. The same is true for lotus-patterned tea bowls.
In addition to being used as a reference for tea sets of the same material, the "Sanqing Tea" poem tea pot has also become the object of imitation of other materials, such as lacquer and jade. Is the imitation of other materials completely consistent with the porcelain "Sanqing Tea" poetry tea pot?
The porcelain "Sanqing Tea" poetry tea pot has the difference between blue and white and safflower, except for the difference between blue and white and safflower, and other aspects are the same. For the time being, take the blue and white "Sanqing Tea" poem tea ou as an example, skimming the mouth, arc belly, and circle feet.
The red ground depicts the black "Sanqing Tea" poem lacquer tea pot and the porcelain tea pot as a whole is relatively close, one is red ground and black, and the other is blue and white on white ground. Tick red "Sanqing Tea" poem tea Ou, the same skimming, arc belly, circle foot, the outer wall shading is green lacquer hollow shape brocade pattern, on the vermilion lacquer carving imperial "Sanqing Tea" poem, mouth and foot for a circle of Ruyi pattern.
The inside of the tea pot is lacquered, and the bottom is engraved with six characters and three lines of seal book "Qianlong Year of the Qing Dynasty". The green jade "Sanqing Tea" poem tea ou is also close to the porcelain tea ou, one is engraved with yin line, and the other is blue and white. Jade "Sanqing Tea" poem tea Ou, straight mouth, folded edge, arc belly, circle foot. The outer wall is engraved with the imperial "Sanqing Tea" poem, and the Yin is engraved and filled with gold.
Judging from the three materials of the "Sanqing Tea" poems and tea pots, the three share the imperial "Sanqing Tea" poems, and there are subtle or obvious differences in other aspects such as size, shape, ornamentation, and techniques. Relatively speaking, porcelain tea ou, red ground black lacquer tea ou, green jade tea ou are the closest, black tea ou is second, jade tea ou is second.
The degree of difference depends on the techniques used and the characteristics of the materials. For example, the layering of the black tea pot is more obvious, showing the effect of bas-relief. This is a unique carving technique for removing red. The jade tea pot adopts the technique of Yin line engraving and then filling with gold, in order to distinguish the poems and ornaments from the jade color.
All in all, from the case of the "Sanqing Tea" poem tea ou, the materials of the cross-media practice are concentrated within the scope of functional convergence, and porcelain, lacquer, and jade can all be used to make tea sets. However, the effect of the three is not the same, which is related to the technique used in each material and the characteristics of the material.
2. Cross-media practice of chrysanthemum teacups
In addition to the "Sanqing Tea" poetry tea pot, Emperor Qianlong favored another teacup, that is, the chrysanthemum teacup. There are two kinds of chrysanthemum teacups: lacquer and porcelain, and the effect of these two materials is almost identical, and it is difficult to distinguish what is lacquer and what is porcelain. The cross-media practice of chrysanthemum teacups is different from that of the "Sanqing Tea" poetry tea pot, which erases the boundaries between materials.
Judging from the archives of the manufacturing office, at the beginning of the 38th year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong ordered Suzhou to imitate chrysanthemum plates many times. After the chrysanthemum plate is successfully imitated, the chrysanthemum petal teacup and chrysanthemum box are imitated. Among them, chrysanthemum teacups are related to tea sets.
The archives of the manufacturing office record in detail the imitation process of the chrysanthemum teacup, and it can be seen that the production of the chrysanthemum teacup, including the lid cup and the cover bowl, refers to at least two systems, one is that the sample size imitates the jade, and the other is that the practice refers to the chrysanthemum plate that has been made before.
Compared with the old chrysanthemum cup, the chrysanthemum lid cup is only "enlarged by five points", but the change in the size ratio brings about a complication of the production process. The original chrysanthemum lid cup refers to the original and does not need to make a wood sample, and the new chrysanthemum petal lid cup first needs to make a wood sample, and after the wood sample is approved, it can be made with reference to the wood sample.
In addition, compared to the old chrysanthemum lid cup, the new chrysanthemum petal lid cup adds the content of the engraved poem. The requirements for these additions are not only documented in detail, but are also required to be presented in wood samples.
From the 38th to the 42nd year of Qianlong, the classic red lacquer chrysanthemum petal teacup was finally born. Since then, the red lacquer chrysanthemum petal teacups have basically been made with reference to the style set in 42 years, large or small.
It can be seen that this process is not achieved overnight, but through continuous polishing and improvement. Judging from the archives, the size of the original chrysanthemum teacup sample refers to jade, and the practice refers to the chrysanthemum petal plate.
The subsequent chrysanthemum teacup is "enlarged by five points" in terms of proportion, and the wood sample needs to be made first, and the new content is presented on the wood sample, and the final shape of the chrysanthemum teacup is neither made with reference to the original nor from the wood sample, but according to the joint plate. Like wood samples, they are templates for making utensils.
Compared with the Sanqing Tea "Poetry Tea Ou", the production of chrysanthemum teacups is not for daily use, but mainly for the daily furnishings of the court. Judging from the archives, the chrysanthemum teacups are mainly displayed in Qianqing Palace, Jingqingzhai, Ningshou Palace, Chunhuaxuan and other places.
3. Cross-media practice of tea set combinations
The cross-media materials involved in the cross-media practice of "Sanqing Tea" poems, tea pots, and chrysanthemum teacups are all current works, and most of them are single utensils. In addition to the cross-media practice of current works, the Qianlong Dynasty was popular to recombine ancient utensils made of different materials to form new tea sets, even if some utensils had nothing to do with tea.
The combination of the porcelain bowl and the ancient jade bowl has long been formed, and it was only a certain degree of transformation in the 54th year of Qianlong that it finally formed what it is today.
For example, the carved poems of the ancient jade bowl holder and the gilded copper buckle at the bottom of the porcelain bowl are added later, and this combination of utensils was originally equipped with a rosewood bracket. This indicates that this combination of utensils is used for furnishings, not for daily life, as the imperial poem says, "it is also enough for the Qing Dynasty".
In addition to the combination of ancient jade bowl and porcelain bowl, it is also combined with the newly made Khotanese jade bowl, Yongle reborn tea bowl, Xuan porcelain and so on. In addition to the ancient jade bowl tray, there are other materials of bowl trays, such as carved lacquer bowl trays and official kiln bowl trays. For these bowl holders, Emperor Qianlong also used bowls to match them. For example, the Yongle carved lacquer bowl tray is matched with the Jiajing carved lacquer bowl, and the official kiln bowl tray is matched with the Xuan kiln tea bowl.
Judging from the combination of the above utensils, it is either the same material, but there are differences in age, such as the combination of the ancient jade bowl tray and the new jade bowl, the combination of the Yongle carved lacquer bowl tray and the Jiajing carved lacquer bowl, the combination of the official kiln bowl tray and the Xuan kiln tea bowl, or the combination of porcelain and jade.
There are three kinds of materials involved in the combination of the above utensils, namely lacquer, porcelain, and jade, which are similar to the situation of the "Sanqing Tea" poem tea pot, and these three materials can be used to make tea sets.
All in all, around the cross-media practice of "bowl saucers", Emperor Qianlong used practicality as an excuse, as he said in the poem "Yongyu Tuozi Yongle Rebirth Tea": "Lighter than Song Ding is thinner than paper, and hot tea soup is hot." Put it in the warm and warm for a while, and it is suitable for the taste of the fragrance. ”
In fact, these combinations of utensils have nothing to do with practicality, and are mainly used for the daily furnishings of the court. The purpose of the existence of these objects is to use them as a medium to associate with the related act of tea drinking, thus triggering a dialogue between the past and the present on a spiritual level.
epilogue
The material range of tea sets practiced in the Qianlong Dynasty was limited by function, mainly focusing on three types: porcelain, lacquer and jade.
The final effect of these three materials in specific practice is not consistent, some of them obliterate the boundaries between materials, and some retain the traces of techniques and highlight the characteristics of materials.
The practice of these three materials is not necessarily for practical reasons, and some are only used for the daily furnishings of the court. The tea sets practiced by the Qianlong Dynasty across media materials are not limited to the current works, but also expand to the combination of ancient utensils of different materials, which not only gives new life to the ancient utensils combination, but also reflects the aesthetics of the Qianlong Emperor, the change of mood and the efforts to communicate the ancient and modern.
bibliography
"Imperial Poems of Qing Gaozong"
"Collection of Archives of the Qing Palace's Internal Affairs Office"
Rare Books of the Palace Museum