清十八世紀上半葉 《美人嬰戲圖》 設色絹本

請注意此編號將不附邊框出售。

There are general stains, tears and wear to the painted surface and mounts. There is a 18.2cm horizontal tear across the headdress of the lady, and a 2cm vertical tear near it. Other long tears are visible, such as that across the shoulder and waist of the lady (possibly due to previous rolling of the painting). The painted surface has other crease lines and loose threads, with associated losses and overpaint. Areas of loss are visible in areas such as the ribbon held on one of the children's hands, and just above the head of another child. There are stains along the sleeve band and on the lower left corner. There is minor colour fading.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

胡妝雅韻：清代繪宮廷風格美人圖

畫中女子明麗無匹，舉止嫺雅，偕兩兒席地而坐，夫君在外，留妻兒於家中各自消遣。右下小兒以竹籃籠罩雛鳥，目視竹籃上方盤踞之雄鷹，遙想隨父輩好友攜侍從遠行狩獵。另一稚兒倚母親裙擺而坐，一犬汪汪而吠，小兒按其背，以母親腰際錦玉流蘇戲之。其母衣飾雍容華麗，抱琵琶調度音準。地上置一銀盒，盒中有琴弦數卷。

本畫描繪情境令觀者聯想起西漢王昭君，以及其扣人心弦之事跡。王昭君乃中國古代四大美人之一，為人方正不阿，西漢元帝年間（公元前36年）進宮，帝使畫工為入宮佳麗作圖，佳麗皆賄畫工，昭君獨不與，畫工毛延壽或因而惡圖之，昭君未得元帝恩寵。其時有「漢匈和親」政策，漢朝與外族皇室結為姻親，以求邊境安寧。竟寧元年（公元前33年），匈奴呼韓邪單于來朝，求與漢室結親，眾公主皆不從，唯昭君自願求行。天子觀其畫像，遂賜昭君予呼韓邪。後召見方知畫工使詐，悔之莫及，王昭君出塞而去，毛延壽遭處決。相傳昭君北行出塞途中，飛雁從空中見其美貌，竟忘卻拍翼飛翔而紛紛墜地。

後人記載王昭君與北方「蠻夷」塞外生活，本畫所繪境物即為其中象徵代表。王昭君為呼韓邪育有兩兒，其子雖為漢人母親所生，實與中原無甚淵源，按胡俗居帳幕為家，立志效其父為善戰善獵之驍勇騎士。畫中人物衣飾半夷半漢，頭戴禦寒皮帽，帽上飾花翎顯其皇族身份。王昭君思憶中原故土，常奏琵琶排遣愁緒。

呼韓邪卒於公元前31年，王昭君求去，為繼元帝崩後上任之漢孝成皇帝（公元前33至37年在位）所拒。昭君遂從胡俗改嫁繼任之匈奴首領，為其生兒育女。有說當時漢朝與北方外族近半世紀均無重大衝突，乃仗王昭君之功，故漢人奉之為寧胡閼氏（閼氏即匈奴王妻）。中原與鄰國外族歷來矛盾不絕，昭君出塞即為其中極具代表性之故事，廣為後世傳頌，既在漢人統治之朝代流行，於外族統治中原全部或部份疆土期間亦甚膾炙人口。本畫繪於清初至清中期，為宮廷式畫作之佳例。

已故著名中國藝術史學家高居翰先生（James Cahill，1926-2014）精研是類畫作，對清代「美人畫」研究貢獻良多，尤見於2013年加州伯克利展覽《紅妝麗影：中國清代美人圖》。[1]此類畫作多描繪畫中美人之代表成就，大英博物館藏一立軸畫，畫中女子穿蟬紗薄袍坐於桌前，似於閱書後稍作歇息，傳為善繪美人圖之清宮畫師冷枚所作（《紅妝麗影：中國清代美人圖 》，編號7）。另一例見於美國巴爾的摩Walters Art Museum（並無落款），畫中婦人身披多重錦袍，衣飾富麗，凝視鏡中倩影自賞（《紅妝麗影：中國清代美人圖 》，編號21）。本畫作則彰顯畫中美人出眾琴藝與獨特衣飾，胡妝雅韻，雍容端麗。

此類畫作多描繪佳人獨處，或以僕從小兒或寵物為伴，彷似苦候良人，怨其辜負絕色才貌。本畫更另有一重意趣：王昭君出塞雖保當時漢代疆土安寧，明朝君主卻厭惡和親政策，滿清亦嚴禁皇室與漢人通婚。然則清胤禛皇子（後登基為雍正帝）卻命畫師私繪十二美女圖，近年方始首現北京故宮博物院。畫中背景陳設奢華富麗，繪漢族美女苦候滿洲皇子駕臨慰其深閨寂寥。[2]或正因其時不容異族通婚，至令畫作視角意涵更為豐富，韻味悠長。

[1]高居翰等，《紅妝麗影：中國清代美人圖 》展覽圖錄，加州大學伯克利分校美術館及太平洋電影文獻庫，加州伯克利，2013年

[2]見Evelyn S. Rawski及 Jessica Rawson（編），《盛世華章，1662-1795》展覽圖錄，英國皇家藝術學院，倫敦，2005年，編號173