唐玄宗〈鶺鴒頌〉卷書風探討及其相關問題

Abstract

國立故宮博物院所藏的書法名蹟〈鶺鴒頌〉，是唐玄宗（685-762；712-756在位）以「鶺鴒友悌」為主題，歌詠兄弟之情的稱頌文辭。學界對其完成時間、書者身分、創作動機等方面有諸多考證，惟看法莫衷一是。〈鶺鴒頌〉筆畫渾厚、墨韻盎然，書風謹守〈蘭亭序〉與〈集字聖教序〉遺範，反映唐代皇室學習王羲之（303-361）系統之風尚。然而，此卷字體尺寸及筆畫粗細變化相當大，而且時有運筆遲滯、牽絲不連貫，以及缺乏行氣等不自然現象，因而長期被質疑為鉤摹本。〈鶺鴒頌〉作為一件重要的唐代皇帝御書，仍存有諸多疑點尚待解決。是以，本文擬藉由現存唐玄宗行書碑刻材料，梳理其演變風貌，先釐清〈鶺鴒頌〉是否出於玄宗之手；接著，進一步透過細部書蹟比對的方式，追溯〈鶺鴒頌〉與王羲之風格的具體關連，分析造成此卷書法不自然之可能原因。探討〈鶺鴒頌〉於唐玄宗行書作品中的定位，並嘗試從政治層面來解釋唐玄宗行書風格演變的之因。 〈鶺鴒頌〉是一件流傳有緒的作品，歷代遞藏過程中，以北宋時期最值得關注。此卷「宣和七璽」齊全，又載於《宣和書譜》，拖尾接有蔡京（1047-1126）、蔡卞（1048-1117）跋文，惟二跋書蹟真偽尚待檢證。跋文內容記述政和五年（1115），曾有萬隻鶺鴒翔聚宮殿，宋徽宗（1082-1135；1100-1126在位）見此景後，親筆繪製〈鶺鴒圖〉且賦詩記之。透過跋文與相關文獻內容可知，「鶺鴒聚集宮殿」一事在宋徽宗朝所象徵的意涵，除了原本的「兄弟友悌」，更衍伸出「祥瑞」寓意。另外，〈鶺鴒頌〉在宋初已透過石刻拓本、刻帖、墨蹟臨本等不同載體廣泛流傳，歷代摹刻情形與版本問題相當複雜。本文將透過卷上的收傳印記，結合歷史文獻與相關著錄，重建該卷的遞藏與流傳歷史。本研究期望藉〈鶺鴒頌〉與相關問題的考察，能更全面審視唐玄宗的書法風貌，並追索此卷在書法史上的重要性。

In the collection of the National Palace Museum is a famous piece of calligraphy entitled Ode to Pied Wagtails by the Tang emperor Xuanzong (685-762, r. 712-756) based on the idea of “brotherly bonds among pied wagtails,” in which he sang the praise in literary form of the affection between brothers. Scholars have proposed numerous discussions about the date of its completion, status of the calligrapher, and motivation behind its creation, but there has been little consensus. The brushwork in Ode on Pied Wagtails is thick and full, its ink brimming in a style of calligraphy that preserves much of the legacy from such models as Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering and Character Compilation for the Sacred Teachings Preface, reflecting the trend of the Tang imperial house in studying the style of Wang Xizhi (303-361), with whom the two works are closely associated. However, given the size of the characters in the Xuanzong handscroll and dramatic variation in the thickness of the strokes as well as the hesitation seen in places, disconnected traces of the strokes, and lack of naturalness to the line spacing, it has long been questioned whether it is actually a tracing copy. Ode to Pied Wagtails, as an important example of Tang dynasty imperial calligraphy, presents many questions that have yet to be answered fully. As such, the present study examines surviving materials of Emperor Xuanzong’s stele engravings in running script to present their development and determine if Ode on Pied Wagtails actually came from his hand or not. This is followed by a careful comparison of details in the calligraphy to provide concrete evidence for the connection with Wang Xizhi’s style, the analysis giving rise to a possible explanation for the unnaturalness in the calligraphy of this handscroll. The following section discusses the position of Ode to Pied Wagtails among calligraphy works written with semi-cursive script by Emperor Xuanzong, and try to explain the cause of change of Emperor Xuanzong’s style of semi-cursive script from the aspect of politics. Ode to Pied Wagtails, in the history of its transmission, is most noteworthy in the Northern Song period. The “Seven Imperial Seals of Xuanhe” from the court of Emperor Huizong (1082-1135) are complete and a record of a work with this title in his Xuanhe Calligraphy Catalogue is also to be found. Likewise, there are colophons afterwards by such important Northern Song figures as Cai Jing (1047-1126) and Cai Bian (1048-1117), though their authenticity has yet to be confirmed. Nonetheless, the contents of the colophons speak of how “ten-thousand” pied wagtails congregated at a palace hall in 1115 and Emperor Huizong (r. 1100-1126), after witnessing this event, personally did a painting of Pied Wagtails with an ode of poetry to record it. The colophons and documentary evidence point to the symbolic significance of “pied wagtails congregating at the palace hall” during Huizong’s reign: In addition to the original idea of “brotherly bonds among pied wagtails,” it was extended in meaning to become an “auspicious omen.” Besides, Ode to Pied Wagtails was broadly spread in different forms like ink scrolls, rubbings taken from carved stone, and calligraphy model-books during Early Song. The issue of reproduction copies by carving and editions of this work is quite complex. It is hoped by studying Ode to Pied Wagtails and related issues to have a more complete perspective of Emperor Xuanzong’s calligraphy and trace the importance of this handscroll in the history of Chinese calligraphy.