清宫书画鉴藏、佚存与研究述评

A Review of Identification,Protection and Research of the Qing Imperial Collection of Paintings and Calligraphies

清代宫廷书画收藏在乾隆朝蔚为大观,为前朝各代所不及。清宫珍藏书画虽然有所散佚和损毁,但其最重要的部分却比较完整地保存在北京与台北两座故宫博物院中。两院荟萃了中国法书墨迹及绘画作品的精华,有相当多的名迹巨品,完整地反映了中国书法史、绘画史的发展历程。民国时期,清宫书画得以初步整理与鉴定,古物陈列所文物鉴定委员会和故宫博物院专门委员会对此做出了突出贡献。1949年以来,两岸故宫博物院对清宫书画的整理鉴定和学术研究不断发展。尤其是北京故宫博物院所藏清宫书画经徐邦达、张珩、启功等先生的研究鉴定,使书画鉴定逐步发展为一门学问乃至一门学科。故宫书画鉴定以文献考据与艺术鉴定并举为特点,构建了书画艺术史的基础,也构成了故宫学的重要组成部分。

The collection of Qing imperial family in terms of painting and calligraphy was not only much richer than private collections,but also surpassed all of the previous dynasties.As an exemplar,the palace collection under the reign of Emperor Qianlong made for a magnificent sight.The artworks collected by the Imperial Household Department were all evaluated by experts.Especially in the Emperor Qianlong period,a thorough check and categorization had been taken.Artists and connoisseurs were gathered several times to identify and appraise the art pieces,to distinguish between top and second classes and give them detailed and simple documentations respectively.The achievement of this work embodies in the book Midian Zhulin,Shiqu Baoji compiled by the order of Emperor Qianlong,which catalogues more than 10 000 pieces of painting and calligraphy treasures housed by Imperial Household Department from the early Qing Dynasty to the 21 th year of the Jiaqing reign(1816).Although some of the artworks collected by the Qing Dynasty Palace were missing ordestructed,the very best parts of the collection are kept intact in the National Palace Museum(Taipei)and the Palace Museum(Beijing).The collections of these two museums concentrate the essence of Chinese painting and calligraphy.A good number of masterpieces stored in these two museums reflect the entire history of the development of Chinese painting and calligraphy,and are integral components of the ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy history,from which the general features of the Qing Dynasty palace collection of painting and calligraphy can be seen.The Beijing Palace Museum has a collection of approximate 150 000 pieces of artworks ranging from brush-paintings,frescoes,engravings,calligraphies,wooden tablets to steles rubbings,and one third of the collection are of significant artistic and historic value.The Palace Museum also houses about one quarter of the artworks that was stored in all of the public museums worldwide in terms of ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy.Today,the collection of National Palace Museum consists of over 10 000 pieces regarding Chinese painting and calligraphy.Since 1900s,especially after the Second World War,the United States has gradually become the biggest holder of the collection of Chinese artifacts outside China,and most of the pieces are preserved in museums and galleries in America.From 1950s and 60s to 80s,the ancient painting and calligraphy collected by the Beijing Palace Museum were appraised by Xu Bangda,Zhang Heng,Qi Gong,Xie Zhiliu,Liu Jiuan,Yang Renkai,Fu Xinian successively.These experts had given an objective identification with respect to the authors,the schools,the dates and the subject matters of all the pieces;hence the assessment is a collective academic achievement.This process of identifying is of profound historic importance since it was the first time that the paintings and calligraphies of dynasties collected by imperial families were completely evaluated and scientifically researched by scholars in academia instead of being attributed only by emperors.Also,the National Palace Museum(Taiwan)pays much attention to sort out and research its collections,as is seen in its exhibitions,publications and seminars.The work of National Palace Museum(Taiwan)has enriched the theoretical system of the Chinese arts history.On the other hand,it further enhances the National Palace Museums key role in the research of Chinese arts.The overseas exhibitions held by the National Palace Museum(Taiwan)have aroused interests of scholars(both inside and outside China)in China and the Qing Dynasty Imperial collection of painting and calligraphy.The emphases of Beijing Palace Museums researches of ancient painting and calligraphy are put upon two aspects:one is from the perspective of arts history,the other is in the view of the palace culture history.In the first half of the 20 th Century,sinologists have made magnificent contribution to the research of the Chinese fine arts history.It could be said that the identification of Chinese painting and calligraphy as an academic research or discipline was born in Beijing Palace Museum.The assessment given by the Beijing Palace Museum has evolved from the identification of scholarsnotes,prefaces and postscripts to academic theses nowadays.It is based on this research that the history of the arts of painting and calligraphy is constructed,making it an independent discipline.