Yong Huang (1728-1759); Hongli (Emperor Qianlong)(1711-1799 )

YONG HUANG'S MANUSCRIPT WITH EMPEROR QIANLONG'S ANNOTATION

ink on paper, a set of four pieces
various sizes

Provenance:
Yonghuang was Qianlong's firstborn son and died at age twenty-three, leaving behind very few records or works. The lot on offer is a poem by Yonghuang based on the rhymes of one by Qianlong. This text is remarkable for the corrections in red by Qianlong himself—an exceedingly rare historical document of how the emperor related to his son as a father. On the line "How many people have reached the paradise of immortals?" Qianlong comments, "How is this line befitting of a crown prince?" Here perhaps the emperor is admonishing his son not to be selfish, or warning him against superstition. Each comments suggests the high standards to which he held his firstborn son.