Item number: A4372

Year: AD 825-827 dated

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.5 x 23.6 x 1.4 mm

Weight: 5.05 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This specimen is a Baoli Tongbao (Bǎolì Tōngbǎo), an artefact unrecorded in official historical chronicles, although Baoli corresponds to the reign era of Emperor Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty.

The numismatic form follows the traditional convention of the Sinosphere: a round coin with a central square hole. The obverse inscription, Baoli Tongbao, is read in a top-to-bottom and right-to-left cross-reading sequence. The characters Bao (寶) and Tong (通) are rendered in clerical script, whereas Li (曆) is executed in seal script. Given its morphological resemblance to the Tang Kaiyuan Tongbao, it is likely a fantasy piece. It is absent from previous numismatic catalogues; although the title is recorded in the Guquan Hui, no corresponding rubbings have been identified.

Emperor Jingzong of Tang, born Li Zhan, was the eldest son of Emperor Muzong. Initially enfeoffed as the Prince of E and later as the Prince of Jing, he was appointed Crown Prince in AD 822 (the second year of the Changqing era) following the sudden illness of Muzong during a polo match, pursuant to petitions from the Chancellor and the court officialdom. He formally ascended the throne in AD 824 upon the demise of Emperor Muzong.

Although his early reign saw the issuance of a general amnesty, the exemption of “green sprout” taxes in the capital region and Henan, and the reduction of palace expenditure, the Emperor himself was profoundly consumed by hedonistic pursuits. Historical records frequently document his obsession with polo, boat racing, wrestling, and various theatrical performances; he even mobilised the Shence Army to excavate ponds within the forbidden gardens for fishing expeditions.

His brief reign was marked by incessant internal and external turbulence. Beyond the insurrections led by the dyer Zhang Shao and the eunuch Ji Wende within the inner court, the administration faced the rebellion of Li Tongjie of the Henghai Army, mutinies of the Lulong Army in Youzhou, and repeated incursions by the Huangdong Man along the frontiers. Ultimately, in the twelfth month of AD 826 (the second year of the Baoli era), Jingzong was assassinated during a rebellion instigated by the eunuch Liu Keming and his associates, at the age of eighteen.

物件編號: A4372

年代: 標示為公元 825-827 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.5 x 23.6 x 1.4 mm

重量: 5.05 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚「寶曆通寶」，於史無載，但寶曆為唐敬宗年號。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。正面錢文「寶曆通寶」，自上而下，自右而左對讀。「寶、通」字為隸書；「曆」為篆書。形制似唐「開元通寶」，可能為臆造品。前譜未見，僅有《古泉匯》錄名，且未見拓片。

唐敬宗李湛為唐穆宗長子，初封鄂王、後徙封景王；長慶二年(公元822年)因穆宗擊鞠暴病，在宰相與百官上疏後被立為皇太子，並於長慶四年穆宗駕崩後正式即位。敬宗即位初期雖曾下詔大赦、免除京畿與河南青苗稅並削減宮廷經費，但他本人卻極度沉迷遊樂，史書中密集記載其頻繁擊鞠、觀賞競渡、角觝與百戲，甚至動員神策軍在禁苑內挖池觀漁。其短暫的統治期間內外動盪不斷，不僅內廷接連發生染坊匠張韶、中官季文德的謀反事件，地方上也面臨橫海軍李同捷叛亂、幽州盧龍軍兵變，以及邊境黃洞蠻的數度侵擾。最終於寶曆二年(公元826年)十二月，敬宗遭宦官劉克明等人發動叛亂弒殺，得年僅十八歲。