16th century Of elongated rectangular form and slightly curved, one side boldly enamelled with eight cranes flying among multi-coloured clouds above the trigrams, the lower part decorated with waves and mountains on a blue background, the other side similarly decorated on a white ground. 45cm (17 3/4in) long. 注脚 十六世紀 銅胎掐絲琺瑯仙鶴八卦紋笏板 Provenance: A French noble family collection, formed from the late 19th century to the early 20th century 來源： 法國貴族家庭收藏，於十九世紀至二十世紀早期入藏 The present tablet is extremely rare as most extant examples of Ming dynasty hu are more typically made carved in ivory and jade. For a Ming dynasty ivory example in the British Museum, London, see R.Kerr, P.Allen and Shih Ching-Fei, Chinese Ivory Carvings: The Sir Victor Sassoon Collection, London, 2016, p.130; and for Ming jade hu in the Qing Court Collection, see Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 6 Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2010, nos.1-5. Ivory tablets of the Ming period are typically carved plain without decoration. However, jade tablets can be seen, similar to the present example, with carvings of constellations above islands emerging from waves, see ibid., no.4. The unusual and lavish use of the cloisonné enamel and gilt-bronze to make a large hu tablet allowed the enameller to create a powerful, bold and vivid design. The design of cranes amidst cloud scrolls, as well as The Eight Trigrams, 'Ba Gua', can be seen on other cloisonné enamel vessels, late Ming dynasty, in the Qing Court Collection, see Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Enamels 1, Beijing, 2011, nos.137 and 178. The Jiajing emperor was a devout Daoist, practising Daoist rituals in the hope of attaining Immortality. Therefore, he favoured motifs representing such symbolism, including The Eight Trigrams and flying cranes. The Eight Trigrams represent the principles of yin and yang manifested in the form of open and solid lines. Yin refers to the female and all that is passive, negative, dark and feminine; whereas yang refers to the male and all that is active, positive, light and masculine. The Eight Trigrams are positioned according to the Later Heaven arrangement, which can be found since the Song dynasty on ceramics; this signifies the bringing forth of information regarding the shifting of the yin and yang, revealing the Laws of Change in the universe and within the human world. Cranes, which often are depicted beside the God of Longevity, Shoulao, represent the wish for long life. For a related example of cranes and The Eight Trigrams design on porcelain, see a blue and white footed bowl, Jiajing mark and period, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, illustrated by S.G.Valenstein, The Herzman Collection of Chinese Ceramics, New York, 1992, p.81, no.76; see also a red enamelled square dish, Jiajing, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (acc.no.C.20-2017). 笏板是中國古代大臣上朝手持的弧形板子。天子執圭，臣子執笏的禮儀始於周朝，臣子手執笏板上朝，有遮口避穢之意，也可以在上面記錄要參奏的內容或是天子的旨意。最初笏用竹製成，後來用骨、牙或玉所製作。文武大官品第不同，所持笏板的材質也不同。後來也成為道教法器之一。 此件掐絲琺瑯笏板極為稀有。傳世明代笏板中多見以象牙或玉製成者，掐絲琺瑯目前僅此一例。明代象牙製笏板，見大英博物館藏一例，見R.Kerr, P.Allen及Shih Ching-Fei著《Chinese Ivory Carvings: The Sir Victor Sassoon Collection》，倫敦，2016年，頁130。明代多見玉圭，見北京故宮博物院清宮舊藏三件明早期玉圭，著錄於《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編6 明》，北京，2010年，編號1-5。 與此笏板類似的紋飾，見北京故宮博物院清宮舊藏一件明晚期掐絲琺瑯雲鶴龍紋出戟方爐，以及一件明晚期掐絲琺瑯八卦紋洗，著錄於《故宮博物院藏品大系：琺瑯器編1: 元明掐絲琺瑯》，北京，2011，圖版137及178。 嘉慶皇帝篤信道教，迷行方士，好長生不老之術，曾濫用國家之財力大事興修齋醮，也因此此時內廷的藝術品上多帶有道教色彩的裝飾圖案。八卦取自《易經》，代表中國古代的宇宙觀，明代嘉靖時期的御窯廠也首次將完整八卦象運用至皇家御瓷當中，其中大部分則可能是供西苑御用。參看紐約大都會博物館藏一件明嘉靖青花八卦紋碗，著錄於S.G.Valenstein，《The Herzman Collection of Chinese Ceramics》，紐約，1992年，頁81，編號76。另見劍橋大學菲茲威廉博物館藏一件明嘉靖五彩八卦紋方碟（博物館編號C.20-2017）