Chinese Art ASIAN ART 21


Food vessel (gui), Early Western Zhou dynasty, early 10th century BC, bronze,


15.88 x 30.48 cm. Bequest of Alfred F Pillsbury


had been degraded to the status of luxury goods, as parvenu display of wealth and status. It was now that the trend to unnecessary decoration reached new heights with greater ornamentation and extensive use of three-dimensional pendants. Decoration as pictures began to appear, depicting sporting events such as archery contests, as well as hunting scenes, feasting and battles. Many look at this development as a new approach, but many question the premise that new is better. Te Han dynasty (206 BC–AD


‘place’, and that society itself would be in peril. Tere is a set of bells in the exhibition with reconstructed racks and in front is a kneeling musician who wears a headdress with antlers, indicating his status as a shaman, not just an ordinary musician. Te part of this exhibition which is


of extreme importance is the study of inscriptions, a subject that does not appear to have ever been addressed in a public venue before now. Te curatorial staff at the Minneapolis Institute of Art has done a brilliant job in their wall texts to explain the importance of these inscriptions, illustrating that these ritual bronzes, besides being remarkable works of art, are also vehicles of information about the past. Te early Shang inscriptions were


usually that of a name, but by the end of the period there were a few inscriptions that recorded them as gifts and which allow modern scholars to more closely pinpoint their dates due to their references to specific events.


By the Western Zhou


inscriptions began to provide rather detailed information to describe gifts from the king as reward to officials and nobles for services rendered. Some inscriptions declare that certain


bronzes were commissioned to declare proudly that they were tokens of praise and thanks to the king for honours bestowed and the ceremonial circumstances of the honours bestowed.


Also beginning in Western Zhou,


however, announcing one’s status became more common. Tis ties in with the increasing tendency to praise oneself and to begin using bronzes in one’s lifetime as status symbols, hence the tendency to create bronzes as vehicles of self-promotion. Tis self- promotion resulted in longer and longer inscriptions which are invaluable today to scholars of the period for the information they hold, providing contemporary evidence of ancient political events and ritual activities. At


the same time, the


promotion of one’s ego was on the rise and the decorations in Western Zhou bronzes as time progressed became more outrageous, practically negating the beauty of form. By the Eastern Zhou dynasty (771- 256 BC), bronzes basically lost their lofty and sacred purposes which began during the Shang and continued somewhat into the Western Zhou dynasty, but by the time of Eastern Zhou, the nobility of bronzes


220) was the end of this glorious age of bronze production. By this time Daoism had become extremely popular with its concept of immortality and an eternity spent in the Garden of the Western Paradise. It had tremendous impact on society as a hold, including the arts. Te jade arts flourished because the belief that jade was a stone of immortality and wonderfully large bronze sculptures were created, such as the ‘heavenly horse’ in this exhibition. Tere is a brilliant exhibition now at the China Institute Gallery in New York,Dream of Kings: A Jade Suit and Afterlife Objects from Xuzhou, through 12 November,


which extensively


covers the Han belief in immortality, reviewed in the May 2017 issue of the Asian Art Newspaper. Te acquisition and study of ancient Chinese bronzes and the rubbings of their inscriptions and exterior details began over one thousand years ago during the Song dynasty (960-1279). At that time it was mainly the acquisition of them and appreciation of them as art forms. Calculated study of the inscriptions would begin later. Because of the keen appreciation of the arts at the time, most famously by the Huizong Emperor (1101-1125),


the penultimate emperor of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126). Tis study and appreciation of things ancient is referred to as antiquarianism, now the correct name for this intellectual pastime. During the Song, small versions


of bronze vessels and animals were created and not always as exact copies, but as versions that may/may not have added decoration or highlights inlaid in gold or silver. Tis semi-revival has always been known as archaizing and later proved to be extremely strong during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795) when archaic shapes were recreated in bronze, porcelain, lacquer and jade. Tere are 12 such archaizing works of art in the exhibition and the inclusion of them demonstrates the powerful influence that excellence of form exerted long after it original creation. Ink rubbings for the Chinese


were not an entertainment, but a reliable means of recording the carved inscriptions of imperial pronouncements and other important declarations carved on stone and cast inscriptions and decorations on bronzes. Tis method of using paper and ink arose during the Tang dynasty (618-907) and has been in constant use ever since. In use not just for anarchic bronzes, but for then unimaginable uses – recording signatures on Japanese swords, copying old gravestones and any other need to make portable copies of words or designs on a flat surface. One of the most ingenious uses of rubbings was by European armour makers in the late Mediaeval and early Renaissance


period


because of the wish to create designs on armour, particularly breastplates. Tey knew that lemon juice could


etch steel with a design that could be filled with a black pigment to make it visible. Te piece of steel would be coated in wax and then the desired design would be cut through to the metal below and then the surface was continually bathed in lemon juice. Yet there was no way to ascertain if the etched surface were deep enough to hold a colorant until someone came up with the idea of covering the surface with paper and dabbing it with ink. Not only did it facilitate the armour maker’s work, but it later led to the invention of etching as an art form in Europe. Te gathering of like-minded


scholars to view and appreciate both bronzes and their inscriptions was an intellectual pursuit through the end of the Empire, but still exists today in a smaller way when the descendants of these like-minded scholars gather. In the imperial days, these groups were referred to as an ‘elegant gathering’, the title of many Chinese classical paintings depicting this ancient scene. Te importance of this exhibition


cannot be stressed enough. It is not just because the works of are of such quality and variety, but also because, through the extensive information provided by the wall texts, that this is really the first time that this age of bronzes has been so completely and carefully explained with the actual objects of these texts being present. • Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Te Ringling Museum of Art, from 9 June to 10 September, Sarasota, Florida, www.ringlingmuseum.org • Te museum is also hosting Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animal/Zodiac Heads installation of 12 monumental bronze sculptures inspired by the Yuanming Yuan in Beijing, in the Bayfront Gardens, for a year from 9 June


THROCKMORTON FINE ART


Fine Asian Works of Art Sunday, June 18, 2017


Previews: June 3, 4, 8-10, 16-17 and by appointment


To learn more about this auction or to view an online catalog, visit www.michaans.com.


Inquiries: Harry Huang +1 (510) 227-2535 harry@michaans.com


Jessica Liang +1 (510) 227-2511 jessica@michaans.com


Pair of Doucai ‘Dragon’ Porcelain Cups Yongzheng Marks and Period Diameter: 3 5/8 inches (9.2 cm) each Estimate: $8,000/12,000


www.michaans.com • 2751 Todd Street • Alameda, California 94501 USA Phone: +1 (510) 740-0220 Fax: +1 (510) 749-0164


Bond #71393954 CHINA


Seated Buddha with attendants, Tang Period 618-907 CE Limestone


H: 22 in. W: 18 in. D: 10 ½ in.


145 EAST 57TH


STREET, 3RD


FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10022 TEL: 212.223.1059 FAX: 212.223.1937 www.throckmorton-nyc.com info@throckmorton-nyc.com Untitled-1 1 11/04/2017 10:18 SUMMER QUARTER 2017 ASIAN ART


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