There are leafy trees with gnarled trunks, supple bamboos, a roaring waterfall and nine old men finely carved in a green jade boulder on display in the Forbidden City in Beijing.Subdued shades, irregularities and the smooth surface of the stone add to the beauty of this three-dimensional landscape carved in a jade mountain weighting more than 800 kilos. The skill of the craftsmen in creating this delicate work, in a hard and tough stone, is celebrated in the lines of poetry inscribed on a boulder that will last longer than any painting.
The scene evokes the meeting of the poet Bo Juyi (772-846) with eight of his friends in the spring 845 to celebrate their old age and longevity.
The Emperor Qianlong commissioned this work, completed in 1786, when he was 75 years old. 'The Nine Elders of Huichang' is one of the finest jade mountains he commissioned, all inspired by ancient paintings.
The painting 'The Nine Elders' created by Huang Biao in 1594, a copy of the most famous painting attributed to Liu Songnian, is included in the exhibition: 'Fineries of Forgery: "Suzhou Fakes" and Their Influence in the 16th to 18th Century' currently on display at the Palace Museum and it is available on-line. Comparing the shapes carved in the jade mountain with the coloured procession of elders on silk was a joyous and rewarding occupation, as I eventually discovered what the four elders, hidden in the back of the boulder and not visible, are doing among spring flowers.
Photos:TravelinaGarden, The Palace Museum Beijing, China, April, 2017
Further reading:
So, Jenny F. Brush on Jade: Emperor Qianlong and "jade painting." Chinese Jades from the
Cissy and Robert Tang Collection.
Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese Universtity of Hong Kong, 2015
Denney, Joyce. “Longevity in Chinese Art.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/long/hd_long.htm (August 2010)
