Item number: A3779

Reference number: SNMC#2-15

Year: AD 1055–1064

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.2 x 22.6 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 3.9 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This is the Qingning Tongbao, cast under the first reign title, Qingning (AD 1055–1064), of Emperor Daozong of the Liao dynasty, Yelü Hongji, the eighth ruler of the dynasty.

The coin conforms to the traditional Han cultural-sphere form of a round coin with a square central perforation. The obverse inscription, Qingning Tongbao, is read from the top and then clockwise to the right. The script is predominantly in regular style, although the character bao approaches clerical script in appearance. In the character ning, the xin (heart) component is simplified to a single horizontal stroke. In the character tong, the initial horizontal stroke of the yong component is omitted and rendered instead as two dots, while in the chuo radical the left-side dot and turning stroke are replaced by three short slanting dots. The character bao is rendered comparatively large. The reverse field is plain and uninscribed.

The Liao dynasty, also known as the Khitan, originated from a nomadic tribal confederation in northeastern China; the term Khitan is also associated with the meaning “iron.” From the moment the tribal leader Yelü Abaoji proclaimed the founding of the state in AD 907, the Liao rapidly became a dominant power on the northern Asian steppe and exerted substantial pressure on the Han Chinese regimes to the south.

Emperor Daozong, Yelü Hongji, was the eighth ruler of the Liao dynasty, reigning from AD 1055 to 1101, and shortly thereafter formally adopted the dynastic name Great Liao. Despite his long reign, he was marked by extravagance and political corruption, under which the state entered a period of decline. A succession of crises—including the Luan River uprising, the miscarriage of justice in the Shixiangci affair, the rebellion of Yelü Yixin, and the Mogusi revolt—destabilised the central government. Yelü Hongji was also a devout patron of Buddhism, expending vast resources on the construction of monasteries and pagodas, leading later generations to remark that “the Liao was ruined through devotion to Buddhism.” During his reign, the Jurchen gradually absorbed other tribes and rose to prominence. Ultimately, in AD 1125, all five Liao capitals fell, the last emperor, Tianzuo, was captured, and the Great Liao dynasty collapsed. Remnant forces under figures such as Yelü Dashi fled westward into Central Asia, where they established the Western Liao.

物件編號: A3779

參考書目編號: SNMC#2-15

年代: 公元 1055–1064 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.2 x 22.6 x 1.2 mm

重量: 3.9 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是遼朝第八任皇帝遼道宗耶律洪基，以其使用的第一個年號「清寧」(公元1055至1064年) 鑄造的「清寧通寶」。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。正面錢文「清寧通寶」，自上而右旋讀。字體以楷書為主，唯「寶」字近隸。「寧」字「心」旁簡省為「一」；「通」字「甬」旁首橫劃簡省，呈兩點「丷」，「辶」旁左側點與折筆改為三撇點；「寶」字較大。錢幕光素無文。

遼朝又稱作契丹，為發源於中國東北的遊牧民族部落，契丹一詞又有「鐵」的意思。公元907年，部落首領耶律阿保機宣布建國伊始，遼朝成為北亞草原的霸主並且對於南方的漢人政權構成巨大的壓力。

遼道宗耶律洪基為第八任皇帝，公元1055至1101年在位，未幾改國號契丹為大遼。其雖長期在任，卻奢侈無度，政治腐敗，國勢在其執政下步入衰弱。先後有灤河之亂、十香詞冤案、耶律乙辛之亂、磨古斯叛亂，中樞動搖。耶律洪基並篤信佛教，靡費巨資修築佛寺、佛塔，使後世有｢遼以釋廢｣之評。女真於其任內逐漸合併他部，繼而崛起。最終於公元1125年，遼五京全部淪陷，末帝天祚帝遭俘，大遼滅亡。殘部耶律大石等則向西遁逃至中亞，成立西遼。