The artworks that the Qianlong emperor took on his southern inspection tours varied to some extent. In addition to choosing certain works from the palace collection based on the itinerary, there were also pieces that he received before traveling but had not yet appreciated. After embarking on the trip, Qianlong's luggage included not only his own painting and calligraphy but, judging from his inscriptions on works and lists of tribute items to the Qing court, items presented by local scholars and officials along the way. These works in the imperial luggage offer a further glimpse at the Qianlong emperor's taste and the delicate relationship with scholar-officials in their responses.
Poetry by Hanshan and Layman Pang
- Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), Song dynasty
- Handscroll, ink on paper, 29.1 x 213.8 cm
This work is a late masterpiece by Huang Tingjian done while in banishment to Sichuan during the period from 1099 to 1100. The Qianlong emperor wrote an inscription for the handscroll as Emperor Emeritus (after abdicating in 1796 in favor of his son); "The double outlines (of the copy) show the poetry to be fake, and I correct my error. I had previously ranked it in the upper category but in fact was wrong." It shows Qianlong had erroneously considered this work to be a forgery, even though he had previously ranked it as a masterpiece.
There are no other inscriptions by the Qianlong emperor on the scroll. However, on his second southern inspection tour in 1757, while the imperial barge was in Baoying, he did a copy and wrote, "Twenty years ago, I loved to copy the calligraphy of Shangu (Huang Tingjian), which I have not done for a long time since. I happened to come across this scroll, and it has made me want to pick up the brush again (in emulation)." Thus, it suggests that Qianlong quickly did a copy of this handscroll on the spur of the moment while on the imperial boat. The copy was then presented to the Yihong Garden in Yangzhou and engraved in stone.
Hues of Willows by a Shore in Spring
- Attributed to Zhu Shuchong, Yuan dynasty (1279-1368)
- Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, 41.2 x 45.4 cm
This hanging scroll was presented as a tribute item by Jin Deying (1701-1762), Left Censor-in-chief at the Censorate, to the Qianlong emperor on the eleventh day of the eleventh lunar month in 1761 before his third imperial southern tour the following year. It was one of the last gifts that Jin presented to the emperor before passing away. Approximately ten days prior to the Qianlong emperor embarking on his southern tour, he took out this painting to appreciate it and write an inscription. Not long afterwards, on the third day of the second lunar month, he received word that Jin Deying had died of illness.
The coloring in this painting is elegantly beautiful, closely adhering to the lush and colorful atmosphere of willows by a bank in spring. Just as the Qianlong emperor wrote in his poetry, it reminds the viewer of Jiangnan scenery as portrayed by the Northern Song scion-artist Zhao Lingrang (fl. ca. 1070-1100). However, the style of this painting differs from that of the late Yuan or early Ming dynasty. In fact, the signature on the left appears to be a later addition, the painting style more closely related to that of the earlier Qing artist Wang Hui (1632-1717).
