Rats after melons and fruits, by Zhu Zhanji (the Xuande emperor, 1399-143, reigned 1426-35). Handscroll, ink and colors on paper, The Palace Museum, Beijing.
Segment of an arch gate, approx. 1412-1431, Reigns of the Yongle (1403-1424) and Xuande (1426-1435) emperors, Earthenware with low-fired polychrome glazes, From the site Temple with Great Gratitude Dabao’en si, outside Central Chinese Gate, Nanjing, The Nanjing Municipal Museum.
Yellow silk fabric with dragons, material for a court robe, reign of the Wanli emperor (1573-1620), Satin with embroidery, The Palace Museum, Beijing.
Portrait of Prince Zhu Youyuan in the ceremonial uniform (detail), probably 1521, Anon. Ming artist, Hanging scroll, colors on silk, The Palace Museum, Beijing.
Thangka, reign of the Yongle emperor (1368-1644), Silk with embroidered designs, Private collection.
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Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
415-581-3500
San Francisco
Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty
June 27-September 21, 2008
For centuries, Ming porcelain vases have been regarded as the epitome of priceless beauty. Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty demonstrates why not just vases but Ming art of many types has earned such acclaim. The exhibition explores the grandeur and opulence of one of the most important dynasties in Chinese history. Power & Glory also marks the Asian Art Museum’s first collaboration with three of China’s most prestigious institutions — The Palace Museum (Forbidden City) in Beijing, the Nanjing Municipal Museum, and the Shanghai Museum. Some of the most precious artworks from the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) from these museums, along with some of the finest items from this period owned by the Asian Art Museum, make up Power & Glory, the first exhibition in the U. S. to focus on the full range of Ming court arts. Many of the more than 240 artworks — porcelain, paintings, textiles, lacquer, jade, jewelry, architectural elements, and more — are on public view for the first time. The exhibition provides a rare opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of Ming achievement, through an unequaled collection of works from the Chinese dynasty.
This exhibition was organized and curated by Li He, Associate Curator of Chinese Art, and Michael Knight, Senior Curator of Chinese Art and Deputy Director of Strategic Programs and Partnerships.
The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) — Ming means “bright” in Chinese — was an appropriate name for a dynasty whose 276 years of rule were marked by stability, economic strength, and a dramatic flourishing of the arts. The first capital of the Ming dynasty was in Nanjing. The third Ming emperor (the Yongle emperor, reigned 1403-24)) transferred the capital to Beijing, and under the Ming dynasty the Forbidden City in Beijing became an international landmark. By the end of the dynasty, Beijing supported a population of more than one million people. The Forbidden City along with the outlying region that supported it made Beijing “a service and supply center that was undoubtedly the largest of its kind in the world at that time” according to the late Chinese historian Ray Huang.
As China’s last native-ruled dynasty, the Ming dynasty is revered as a pinnacle of cultural achievement. Imperially supervised workshops and kilns followed strict guidelines for the creation of goods for royal consumption. Under these rigorous guidelines set forth by the court-based Bureau of Design, Ming porcelains and other artworks such as lacquer, metalwork, and textiles became world renowned for their quality.
Power & Glory is divided into seven themes related to different aspects of Ming court life: government and ranks; entertainment and hobbies; daily life; architecture and court environments; technology and innovation; religion and beliefs; and education and tradition.
The exhibition opens in the Lee Gallery where museum visitors discover the intricate costume system that distinguished the Government and Ranks of the Ming ruling elite. In 1393 the Hongwu emperor issued guidelines that explicitly outlined what government officials could wear, and how they should wear it. For example, a 1405 edict regulating crown accessories stated that dragons, phoenix, clouds, and flowers were appropriate adornments. The prescribed materials for making these accessories were gold, feathers, jade, and gems. Among the many ornaments on view in the exhibition is a brightly colored crown ornament consisting of a heart-shaped amber pendant flanked by two three-clawed gold dragons. The dragons grip the amber with tongs at the heads, rear legs, and overlapped tails. Around the dragons float whirling clouds that are inlaid with a ruby at the top and another at the bottom. Representing the symbolic color of the Ming dynasty, the red heart implies loyalty to the dynasty. This amber piece will be on view for the first time in the United States.
Another artwork on view in the Government and Ranks section is bright yellow silk material embroidered with dragons, intended as a robe. The yellow hue was reserved solely for the use of the emperor. While conducting research for the exhibition, Associate Curator Li He discovered the robe in its original box in storage at Palace Museum in Beijing. The robe — dating to the 1600s — was never sewn together and is in pristine condition. Its inclusion in Power & Glory marks its U.S. debut.
Power & Glory continues in the Hambrecht Gallery with a section on the Entertainment and Pastimes of the Ming dynasty court. Artworks include musical instruments, other amusement accessories, and paintings depicting various pastimes of courtiers. Highlighted is a painting by Zhu Zhanji, fifth Ming Emperor (reigned 1425-1435), with the reign title Xuande, entitled Rats after bittermelons and fruits. This handscroll dates to the early 15th century and depicts variations on a rat nibbling at many-seeded fruits and casting longing eyes on ripe bittermelons. The rat is traditionally associated with intelligence and fertility (Power & Glory is presented at the museum in the Year of the Rat, according to the Chinese lunar calendar). Many-seeded fruits also are symbolic of fertility. Together, the images manifest the Chinese popular saying: May you have sons and grandsons for ten thousand generations. Through the painting the Xuande emperor addressed his wish for everlasting dynastic succession. The poses of the rats and the attention to minute details and surface textures of the body demonstrate the emperor’s talent.
The Daily Life section introduces fashions of the day featuring personal adornments and decorative elements for the home. An amber cup on display is of particular interest. This is the largest piece of amber discovered in Ming dynasty tombs. The base of the cup is shaped like a lotus leaf, with a carved fisherman as its handle.
The Osher Gallery houses the remaining four of the seven exhibition themes: architecture and court environments; technology and innovation; religion and beliefs; and education and tradition. The center of the gallery is devoted to architectural elements excavated from the first capital of the Ming dynasty in Nanjing. Artworks discovered from burial tombs of high-ranking government families on the outskirts of Nanjing are also included. Some of the Architecture and Court Environments are from the Baoensi temple which was built by the Yongle emperor as a gesture of respect to his mother and father. The temple took nineteen years, over the reigns of three emperors, to complete. The finished temple complex housed a nine-storied octagonal pagoda in the center that was surrounded by seventy-two arch gateways. Each of the two pillars of a gateway was decorated with three symmetrical friezes made from earthenware finished with a colorful glaze. On the bottom was a flying elephant — the vehicle for the mythic Law Protector, Samantabhadra, in the middle was a lion — the vehicle for the deity Wenshu, and on the top section of the pillar was a flying ram who was the deities’ companion. All of these motifs are set against floral backgrounds. Two segments of one of these pillars are on view in the exhibition: one of the flying elephant and one of the lion.
The next section, Technology and Innovation, features, among other artifacts, remnants of the famed shipyards used to build the massive wooden nine-masted ships – the largest the world had seen at the time — sailed by Admiral Zheng He during his Ming government sponsored expeditions dating from 1405 — 1433. More than 28,000 sailors and marines were on the first voyage. The voyages sailed along the Indian Ocean basin and as far as Africa. Porcelains and textiles are also included in the Technology and Innovation section of the exhibition. They illustrate the mass-production techniques developed during the Ming dynasty. An early form of gun that used gunpowder is also on display. The gun was made in a foundry in Fengyang, the hometown of the first Ming emperor.
Vessels, sutra covers, and other religious and ceremonial artworks comprise the Religion and Beliefs section of Power & Glory. The rulers of the Ming dynasty believed that emperors were bestowed the divine right to rule by Heaven. This right to rule was inherited from their ancestors, but could be withdrawn at any time and bestowed upon another if Heaven so deemed. Emperors spent a vast amount of time and state resources ensuring that the mandate was not withdrawn. Communication with Heaven was through the ancestors and through a plethora of rites and rituals.
In addition to ancestor worship, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism were supported throughout the Ming dynasty, depending on the personal leanings of each emperor. During the reign of the Yongle emperor, intricately woven textiles, imperial porcelains, superb sets of sutras with lacquered covers, and fabulous images of gilt bronze were made in the imperial workshops as gifts to the high Buddhist lamas of Tibet. A dramatic thangka (a form of Buddhist painting or embroidery) included in the exhibition was created at the imperial textile workshops by order of the Yongle emperor. Imposing at approximately 11 feet by 7 feet, this intricately embroidered textile is in pristine condition. It depicts the god Raktayamari and his consort in sexual embrace, representing the union of compassion and wisdom. This textile will only be on view at the Asian Art Museum. As the thangka is from a private collection, the exhibition provides an exclusive opportunity to view this incredibly rare and stunning artwork.
Education and Tradition is the seventh and final theme of Power & Glory. More than half of the artworks in this section are paintings. They illustrate the various stylistic influences on painters active at the Ming court. In an effort to align the dynasty with prestigious eras and episodes from the past, Ming dynasty court painters often followed the traditions of the imperial academy of the Song dynasty (960-1279). A painting in the exhibition entitled Expansive rivers twining around clear peaks by Li Zai (d. 1431) is an example. The artistic treatments of branches and textural strokes show the influence of Song dynasty traditions, yet vigorous ink washes demonstrate a departure typical of the early Ming. Three groups of figures from different social classes appear in this painting, each differentiated by the activities they undertake. In the foreground, fishermen in boats entertain each other by offering drink and playing the Chinese flute. Behind a hill in a pavilion over the water, an educated man reads books. Before a mountain house in the center, a host greets a guest who is followed by a boy servant carrying a zither instrument.
During its long and prosperous rule, the Ming dynasty court actively supported the flourishing of the arts. It contributed much to the cultural heritage of China. Power & Glory provides a rare opportunity to view artistic achievements which are part of its lasting legacy.
The exhibition travels to Indianapolis Museum of Art (October 26-January 11, 2009) and St. Louis Museum of Art (February 22-May 17, 2009).
Power & Glory: Courts Arts from China’s Ming Dynasty, published by the Asian Art Museum, and edited by He Li and Michael Knight includes essays about Ming dynasty art as well as detailed entries for each of the objects in the exhibition. The fully illustrated catalog is available at the Asian Art Museum store. |
