沈振麟《十二月花神》冊中季節樣貌與植物組合意涵

The Portrayal of Seasons and the Meaning of Plant Arrangements in Zhen—lin Shen’s Flower Deities of the Twelve Months

「十二月花神」源於前人在中國傳統農曆月份中對季節與植物變化的觀察，並將其與歷史典故與人物角色結合成富含文學性與文化意義的符號。在臺北故宮的藏品中，清末宮廷畫師沈振麟繪有《十二月花神》冊一系列共十二幅作品。每個月份的兩種花神有主要與次要之分，主要植物來自流傳民間的花神月令；而次要植物則多為中國園林常見季節性花木。
本文從沈振麟生平出發，嘗試整理畫家與宮廷的關係。接著比較宋代至今所流傳的十二月令與花神文獻中，找出與作品植物選擇與排列組合的相似之處。再從清代統整的佩文齋詠物詩選、廣群芳譜，與明清時人筆記《長物志》、《閒情偶寄》等書，尋找這些植物於清代的文化意涵為何，以試圖分析作品對畫家的意義以及畫家欲藉花卉向皇帝述說的意涵。現有十二月花神文獻中，與作品中植物選用最為相近的是清代俞樾《十二月花神議》。《十二月花神議》原為蘇州人士養閒翁所統整民間流傳的十二月花神，後請托俞樾審校而成。在畫冊《十二月花神》與《十二月花神議》皆出現了具江南地域性的花月令。這暗示作品有著蘇州與沈振麟、俞樾間朝代與地理的共性，此觀點將頻繁出現在內文中。另外中國文化自古將四季更迭視為人類生命週期的遞進，也與順應自然、天人合一的道家精神做結合。這概念影響了《十二月花神》，因此文中也對各月份植物圖像中所隱含人生象徵與對生、心理的影響進行分析與解釋。

The origins of“flower deities of the twelve months”lie in the observations Chinese ancestors made regarding how plants varied with the change of seasons over the course of twelve lunar months. Combining these observations with historical allusions and characters, they formed a system of symbols that bear rich literary and cultural significance. In the late Qing dynasty, court painter Zhen-lin Shen (served during the Daoguang and Guangxu periods, dates of birth and death unknown) created Flower Deities of the Twelve Months, a painting album which contains a series of twelve works and currently sits among the collections of the National Palace Museum, Taipei. In this album, each month is represented by two flower deities, and each deity assumes a primary or secondary role. Plants which take on a primary role come from widely circulated folk verses on flower deities, while those in a secondary role are mostly seasonal flowers and trees commonly found in Chinese gardens.
Based upon the biography of Zhen-lin Shen , this paper attempts to sort the relationship between the painter and the court. In addition, by comparing literature on activities and flower deities of the twelve months that have been circulated since the Song dynasty, this paper discovers similarities to Shan’s creations in terms of plant selections and arrangements. Further, by examining Peiwenzhai yongwu shixuan (Object-chanting Poetry Anthology) and Guang Qunfang Pu (Extended Notes on Various Plants) curated in the Qing dynasty, as well as Chang wu zhi (Superfluous Things) and Xianqing ouji (Random Jottings), notes authored during the Ming and Qing dynasties, this paper explores the cultural meanings of these plants in the Qing dynasty in an attempt to unravel the significance the artworks bore to the painter and the messages he intended to communicate to the emperors through flowers. Among the existing literature on the flower deities of the twelve months, the work which displays the most similar plant selection to that under discussion is On the Flower Deities of the Twelve Months by Yu Yue in the Qing dynasty. Originally compiled by a Suzhou literati Yang Xian Weng and subsequently revised by Yu Yue, this work gathers the flower deities of the twelve months for wide circulation among the general population. Verses on seasonal flowers characteristic of the Jiangnan district appear in both Flower Deities of the Twelve Months and On the Flower Deities of the Twelve Months. This indicates that these works shared the common characteristics of dynasties and geography Zhen-lin Shen and Yu Yue had with Suzhou. This viewpoint recurs constantly in the text. Moreover, in Chinese culture, the changes of the seasons are often compared to the evolution of the human lifecycle, and aligned with the Taoist spirit of living in harmony with and becoming one with nature. The influence of this concept is observed in Flower Deities of the Twelve Months. This paper further analyzes and explicates how the botanical images of each month symbolize life and affect human physiology and psychology.