A tripod incense burner with scrolling lotus motif of the Qing Dynasty. [PHOTO BY JIANG DONG/CHINA DAILY]
The imperial aesthetics of the flowering time explored at latest of annual exhibitions dedicated to the new year, Lin Qi reports.
When he ascended to the throne, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) inherited an affluent monarchy from his industrious grandfather, Emperor Kangxi, and father, Emperor Yongzheng.
Qianlong was in his mid-20s at the time. The country he was to reign was politically stable and economically well developed, and so besides fulfilling his duties as a ruler, he was able to invest more time and energy than his predecessors into cultural life, inside and outside the imperial palace.
The successive reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong produced one of the most prosperous periods in Chinese history. Qianlong in particular was known for his discernment and patronage of art.
For instance, on a spring day such as this, the emperor would enjoy the warmer weather and green views with excursions. He would experience much the same pleasures in his living spaces, where he was surrounded by works of art and craft dedicated to blooming spring scenes, objects presented to him by his subordinates, or made to order.
From left: Painted pottery snake (left) and dragon from a Tang Dynasty collection of zodiac animal figurines. Qianlong-era lantern-shape vase which bears taohuadong glaze. A flower vase of the Qing Dynasty. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Visit Beijing's National Museum of China, and the ongoing long-term exhibition Embracing the Spring, it presents close-up views of some of the finest objects that once adorned Qianlong's life.
It is no longer possible to hold the elaborate pieces on show as the emperor once did, such as the small cup with majestic yanzhishui (watery rouge-red) glaze made during his grandfather's rule, or the lantern-shape vase with the unique taohuadong (peach blossom hole) glaze made during his own reign.
Tang Ying, a senior court official and ceramic artist of repute, served in the courts of Yongzheng and Qianlong, and supervised production at the imperial kilns.
He once described how the eyecatching taohuadong glaze was made via a glaze-blowing method. "Use a cut bamboo tube, cover one end with a piece of gauze, dip it in different colored glaze, and blow the glaze onto a thin, white pot to achieve the effect. Do this three or four times, depending on the size of the piece and the type of glaze, and even more than a dozen times, if necessary."
The result is a dazzlingly colorful effect, reminiscent of fireworks lighting up the night.
Embracing the Spring continues an annual tradition at the museum on Chang'an Avenue, which regularly holds a themed exhibition right before Spring Festival to celebrate the new year in anticipation of spring.
The exhibitions usually include artifacts featuring the specific Chinese zodiac animal of that year. For example, this year, it is the snake, as well as other objects that embody good wishes and blessings, such as longevity, prosperity and peace.
An ornament with lotus and intertwining dragon from Qing Dynasty. [Photo provided to China Daily]
This year, the National Museum has about 200 objects on display, from archaic bronzes, jade, coins, and gold and silverware, to calligraphy, coins and ceramics.
Following a routine that highlights the exhibitions, each time a statue from a collection of 12 pottery zodiac animals in the uniform dress of an ancient man, is selected for the show.
According to Zhao Yuliang, a researcher at the museum, the pottery animals were unearthed in 1955 in a Tang Dynasty (618-907) tomb on the eastern outskirts of Xi'an, Shaanxi province. He says the rarity of the set is that it is complete. Standing between 38 and 43 centimeters in height, all 12 zodiac animals, colored in red and green, are dressed in long robes with wide sleeves that fall to the ground. Their forearms are raised to chest-level, and their hands are hidden in their sleeves.
Zhao says that scholars widely agree that the custom of burying the dead with zodiac-themed objects emerged in the Northern Dynasty of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581) period, and that the practice became quite popular during the Tang Dynasty but dwindled after the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
He adds that zodiac figures were made in a seated position, standing, or with human bodies, and the higher social status the deceased enjoyed, the bigger the statues.
This year, the snake statue is being shown alongside the 11 other statues, a rare public appearance of the set in its entirety.
A striking owl-shaped zun vessel from the 3,000-year-old tomb of Fuhao is one of the star exhibits of the National Museum.
It is normally on display in the permanent Ancient China exhibition, but has been moved to the galleries where Embracing the Spring is taking place. This is because the feathers on each side of the owl are sculpted in the relief of a curling snake.
It was one of a pair of identical vessels found in a tomb in 1976 in Anyang, Henan province, which is believed to be the site of the capital of the Shang Dynasty (c. 16th century-11th century BC) during its later stages. The other vessel is in the collection of the Henan Museum in Zhengzhou.
The vessel's intricacy and solemnity suggests the privileged status of the defunct — Fuhao is believed to have been the wife of Shang Dynasty king Wuding, who was active in state affairs and a daring general in war.
Zhuge Yingliang, the exhibition's curator, says blossoms are one of the exhibition's themes and are a motif visible on dozens of the objects on show, where they are juxtaposed alongside floral displays to accentuate the vibrancy of spring.
A Ming Dynasty carved lacquer box that depicts children playing. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Jade butterfly pendants from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties can be seen above the Baihua Tu (Scroll Painting of One Hundred Flowers), a masterpiece by Zou Yigui, a favored official and painter at the court of Emperor Qianlong, who took particular delight in Zou's floral paintings.
A variety of flowers from different seasons are detailed in delicate brushwork and graceful colors on the 8-meter-long scroll.
"It is an occasion to show how people captured beauty in works of art, and imbued it with cultural connotations. The aesthetic spectacle is timeless," Zhuge says.
