清代與吉慶裝飾題材的運用已臻化境,講究「圖必有意,意
必吉祥」,此瓶不論主題抑或輔助紋飾,均採用了兆寓福壽
如意的吉祥圖案,令人觀之即可領悟其中寄予的美好祝願。
整器色彩艷麗明快,繪製工麗精細,寓意吉祥,頗具乾隆一
朝制瓷之風。嘉慶一朝的製瓷工藝完全承襲了乾隆時期的
藝術風格,尤以早期最為突出。乾隆丙辰歸政後,改元為
嘉慶元年,但在清宮內務府的檔案中,仍有乾隆六十一年和
六十二年的時憲書,宮中檔案仍延用乾隆年號。可見雖已歸
正禪位,但乾隆身為太上皇的晚年生活仍然是整個國家權利
的最高主宰,其于歸政前夕所作御題詩《除夕》中有「此日
乾隆夕,明朝嘉慶年。古今難得者,天地錫恩然。父母敢言
謝,心神增益虔。近成老人說,雲十幸能全。」而身為「千
古第一全人」的乾隆皇帝,他希冀自己能夠擁有如宋高宗那
般父慈子孝的晚年太上皇生活,就如他自撰在樂壽堂門前的
對聯所書「樂在人和,肯寄高閒規宋殿。」而嘉慶帝也不負
所托,自即位始,日侍慈顏,稟受至教,凡事皆附和太上
皇,可謂事事周到。實乃名副其實的「總以孝奉為務」。故
而此一時期之御瓷也表現出迎合太上皇喜好,一派四海升
平,喜慶安樂的太平盛世。
佚名,清《萬國來朝圖》軸(局部),絹本設色
©故宮博物院藏
Anonymous, Qing Dynasty, The Tribute Visit of Ten Thousand Nations (detail), hanging scroll, colour on silk
©The Palace Museum
On either side of the necks of these vases are upside-down bats.
The bats symbolize happiness, while the word for upside-down
in Chinese is a homophone for 'arrive'. The motif, therefore,
symbolises the arrival of happiness. In their mouths the bats each
hold the tip of a halberd. Further, a chiming stone is suspended
from the halberd, and in such combination the halberd provides a
rebus for auspicious happiness.
On either side of the large blossoms on the shoulders of the vases
are confronted archaistic blue kui dragons. They have flower stems
in their mouths and their heads turned back. The pair of handles
are also moulded in the form of archaistic kui dragons. This use of
archaistic dragon handles as well as the general form of the vases
is a continuation of forms popular amongst imperial porcelains of
the Qianlong reign.