An imperial gilt-inscribed pale celadon jade 'evergreen' table screen, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period | 清乾隆 青白玉描金御題詩一統萬年硯屏

A Romance with Jade: From the De An Tang Collection, Yongshougong, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 29.

《玉緣：德安堂藏玉》，永壽宮，故宮博物院，北京，2004年，編號29

The imperial poem inscribed on the present table screen is included in Qing Gaozong yuzhi shiwen quanji [Anthology of imperial Qianlong poems and text], part 4, vol. 65. Judging from the chronological sequence of the cited publication, the poem dates to the second or third day of the first month of 1780, and consists of two parts. The first part is in prose style and discusses a painting of wannianqing (Chinese evergreen) by late-Ming dynasty painter Chen Kua (act. 16th century) in the Qing court collection, on which the Qianlong Emperor inscribed a colophon two years prior, which forms the second part of this poem.

Wannianqing, literally means 'verdant over ten-thousand years', and the character qing is a synonym with the character for purity, is a symbol of everlasting rule and political purity, and a subject matter suitable for imperial works of art, as evidenced by an album leaf painted by court painter Shen Huan (act. 18th - early 19th century), which may have been the source of inspiration for the current scroll.

詩文：

御題詩陳栝畫萬年青詩

萬年青者萬年清也，今人多畫此以為祝頌，

此軸乃明隆慶時陳栝所畫，而其大學士申時行題句。

足為嘉徵，因成是什。

靈草恒青冬夏鮮，謂當有水注其邊。

文徵畫合梓材語。惟曰保民欲萬年。

此首御題詩載於御製詩四集卷六十五，應作於乾隆庚子年（1780年）正月二或三日。

詩文第二部分原為乾隆1778年於明陳栝《畫萬年青》的題跋。