阮元本〈文徵明畫胡梅林平倭圖卷〉芻議

A Tentative Discussion on “Hu Meilin Combating the Wokou Scroll Attributed to Wen Zhengming” in Ruan Yuan’s Collection

關於明代侵擾中國東南濱海的倭寇，目前有三件為人所知的圖像作品：東京大學史料編纂所藏〈倭寇圖卷〉、中國國家博物館所藏〈抗倭圖卷〉，以及實體失傳僅在文字描述中為吾人所知的阮元本〈文徵明畫胡梅林平倭圖卷〉。近年因為科學技術的引用與各國學術交流的助益，不但辨識出一些現存畫面中已模糊或消失的字跡，還提出了新的理解脈絡，認為這些倭寇圖像很可能都是生產於晚明或清初的商業性書畫產品──「蘇州片」。

本文分析各種交織的線索以後，對於阮元本〈文徵明畫胡梅林平倭圖卷〉提出一種新假說。本文認為，阮元本〈文徵明畫胡梅林平倭圖卷〉的起源，可能是禦倭總督胡宗憲經由原蘇州府吳江縣令楊芷的安排，聘請蘇州畫師黃彪製作，是一幅計畫贈送其上司趙文華的「戰勳圖」。趙文華倒台後，此畫卷被崑山鄉宦張寰進行加工。他在卷末添入敘述胡宗憲平倭功勳的跋文，以及其好友文徵明、顧應祥的落款和題詩，變成了一件能夠宣揚胡宗憲功勳、致贈胡宗憲的禮物。萬曆時期，明日朝鮮之役爆發，在江南引動對「倭寇」資訊好奇的風潮，刺激圖畫市場出現對於相關主題的新需求，於是本來即與蘇州片的生產關係密切的畫師黃彪，又運用其手邊的〈胡梅林平倭圖卷〉圖稿，製作出相關圖畫商品上市。故而此圖卷的分身們又以蘇州片這種新面目，重現在世人眼前。

 

The phenomenon of Wokou piracy during the Ming Dynasty along the southeastern coast of China is depicted in three known visual works: the “Wokou Scroll” housed in Historiographical Institute, the University of Tokyo, the “Resisting Wokou Scroll” held by the National Museum of China, and “Hu Meilin Combating the Wokou Scroll Attributed to Wen Zhengming,” which has been lost, but is known through textual descriptions. In recent years, advances in scientific technology and the assistance of international academic exchanges have not only allowed for the identification of previously unclear or erased inscriptions in existing images, but also led to new interpretations. Scholars now propose that these depictions of Wokou piracy are likely products of a type of commercial painting in the late Ming and early Qing periods known as the “Suzhou Fakes.”

This article, through the analysis of interwoven clues, presents a new hypothesis regarding “Hu Meilin Combating the Wokou Scroll Attributed to Wen Zhengming.” It suggests that the origin of this work may be traced back to Hu Zongxian, the governor-general in charge of the anti-Wokou pirate campaign, with the assistance of the Suzhou magistrate Yang Zhi, commissioned the artist Huang Biao to create a “war merit painting” that was intended as a gift for Hu’s superior, Zhao Wenhua. After Zhao Wenhua’s downfall, the scroll was modified by Huang Biao’s master, Zhang Huan, who added a postscript describing Hu Zongxian’s achievements in pacifying the Wokou, along with the inscriptions and poems by Zhang’s friends Wen Zhengming and Gu Yingxiang. The scroll transformed into a gift meant to publicize Hu Zongxian’s achievements and was dedicated to him.

During the Wanli period, the outbreak of conflicts involving China, Japan, and Korea sparked curiosity in the Jiangnan region about the “Wokou,” creating a surge in the demand for related artistic depictions. This spurred the development of a new market for paintings. Huang Biao, an artist closely associated with the Suzhou Fakes, responded by creating relevant pictorial merchandise using existing original drawings. Consequently, a replica of the “Hu Meilin Combating the Wokou Scroll” emerged in a new form, intimately connected to the Suzhou Fakes, that reappeared in the public eye.