Figures in Blue and White
By admin on 2015-01-12

Blue-and-white porcelain is a unique kind of porcelain from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) famous for its bright, colorful hue and vivid painting, among which those with patterns of characters and stories are considered the most precious.

The Yuan Dynasty was also a flourishing period for Zaju (the Yuan Drama), and a string of famous plays written by Guan Hanqing, Wang Shifu and Ma Zhiyuan, such as The Injustice to Dou E and The Romance of West Chamber, could be seen on every stage. The stories of these dramas had become deeply rooted in people’s hearts, as can still be seen today from the characters and stories engraved in these haunting and beautiful blue-and-white porcelains.

Up to now, only a few dozen blue-and-white porcelains with characters and stories have been found, and a large number of them are lost overseas.

This prunus vase is now in the Nanjing Municipal Museum, Jiangsu Province. It was unearthed from Muying Tomb at Niushou Mountain in Jiangning County. Pictures depicting the story of Xiao He and Han Xin are painted on the belly of the vase, with passion flowers, lotus flowers and other decorative patterns above and below the foreground.

The main character, Xiao He, wearing a putou (a separate set of hats for officials and academics in ancient China) and light armor, is on a galloping horse. On the other side of the vase, Xiao He, wearing a robe, is taking a horse to water by its bridle. Between them, the vase is painted with pines, plums, bamboo and rocks.

The story of Xiao He’s chase after Han Xin in the moonlight is recorded in both Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) and Hanshu (Book of Han). During the Chu-Han War at the end of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), Han Xin worked under Liu Bang in 206 BC, but was despite his great military talents, was not trusted or promoted by Liu, so he decided to leave Liu’s force. Hearing that, Liu’s chief advisor Xiao He, who was very impressed with Han Xin, chased after Han Xin and persuaded him to come back, and then recommended him to Liu. Later, this famous event was remembered as “Xiao He Chasing After Han Xin in the Moonlight,” and was adapted to dramatic form in the Yuan Dynasty.

Blue and white porcelain jar: Yuchi Gong Singlehandedly Rescues the Lord

Excavated from Hengxian County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, this jar is painted with a battle scene telling the story of Yuchi Gong’s daring rescue of his lord Li Shimin, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

According to legend, Li Shimin was examining the battlefield, when Zheng forces, a major enemy of Tang’s, suddenly arrived and surrounded Li Shimin. The Zheng general Shan Xiongxin directly attacked Li Shimin himself, when Yuchi Gong suddenly arrived and hit Shan Xiongxin with a metal chain, knocking Dan off his horse. Yuchi Gong then escorted Li Shimin out of harm’s way.

In the painting, the man wearing a helmet and with a three-pronged fork in hand is the Tang general Duan Zhixuan, who is in a dangerous position. The armed rider chasing after Duan Zhixuan is the Zheng general Shan Xiongxin. Separated by hills, Li Shimin, wearing his putou and cope, is riding on a horseback with his right hand holding a scourge. He twists his body left and looks back, as if he is talking with the man following him, Yuchi Gong. Yuchi Gong is coming at full gallop on a horse, holding the reins in his left hand, and a metal chain in his right. Three soldiers carrying spears are concealed among the rocks. It is decorated with rocks, clouds, willows, phoenix and glossy ganoderma patterns in the spare space.

Yuhuchun prunus vase with images of General Meng Tien

This Yuhuchun (spring in a jade flask) prunus vase, decorated with images of General Meng Tien and other characters, was unearthed in Changde City, Hunan Province, and is now preserved in Hunan Provincial Museum. Yuhuchun vases were mostly used as containers of white wine in ancient times. Such containers were named “spring” flasks because grain alcohol was usually made in winter and drunk in spring.

In the painting on the vase, General Meng Tien is sitting imperiously in a chair, wearing his armor and war robe. Standing behind the general, an armed guard is holding upright a banner of General Meng Tien while carrying a sword at his waist. In front of the general, a warrior with a strong bow is saluting the general. Following the warrior, a corporal with a hood over his head is pinning down a captive. The captive looks like an official, for he is wearing ornamented clothes and a thick hat. The general’s bushy whiskers and the towering banner strengthen the imposingness of the trail.

Blue-and-white porcelain jar: Wang Zhaojun Goes Beyond the Great Wall

The figure painting on this blue-and-white covered jar, adorned with an image of “Wang Zhaojun Goes Beyond the Great Wall” is one of the most exquisite pieces of porcelain work. This jar is quite similar both in shape and in style to another covered jar unearthed in Hengxian County, which has a painting of “Yuchi Gong singlehandedly rescues the lord.” Unfortunately, the former one has been lost to a collection overseas. It is now preserved in the Idemitsu Museum of Arts of Japan.

On the surface of the jar’s belly, a small expedition of nine people on horseback is portrayed. The horses are carrying bows, quivers and bags. Among the characters, there are men and women, old and young. Also, they look different in appearance and apparel. Some are on horseback, and some are walking with whips in their hands. The decent lady in traditional Han dress, who is riding a white horse and embosoming a pipa (an instrument introduced from ancient Qiuci), is the bride and also the main character, Wang Zhaojun. Two Hun maids are accompanying her. Of the six men, some are Han people to accompany the bride; some are Huns to capture her. They wear different dresses of Han or Hun style. Huns may have curly hair and hats made of ferret leather, while Han people may have straight beards and felt hats. In the scene there are also distant mountains and nearby rocks, pines and willows, bamboos and banana leaves. The landscape is so elegantly merged with the figures that the scene looks very lifelike.

This story can be dated back to 54BC, when Huhanye, the Chanyu (Khan) of Hun, was defeated by his brother Zhizhi and retreated down south to Guanglu—a stronghold outside the Great Wall. The Chanyu Huhanye came to the West Han capital several times to request a Han princess as a bride. Though many young women in the Han harem were unwilling to leave their comfortable lives, Wang Zhaojun, a young maiden, applied for the mission. She then was conferred the title of Ninghuyanzhi (the First Lady of Hun Peace) by the Chanyu to eulogize her as a queen who brought peace and security to the Hun tribe. With the support of West Han government, Huhanye finally made his power extended throughout the Hun territory. Therefore the peace between the Hans and the Huns lasted for nearly half a century.

When time arrived at the Yuan Dynasty, the allusion of Zhaojun was adapted into drama, Zaju and other art forms, and thus gradually turned into a romantic story. Prominent works about this romance include The Emperor Yuan Sheds Tears for Zhaojun by Guan Hanqing, Autumn of the Han Harem by Ma Zhiyuan, and Zhaojun Goes beyond the Great Wall by Zhang Shiqi.

Blue and white covered jar with a portrait of “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage”

A blue-and-white covered jar bedecked with a painting of “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage” is also an elegant piece of figure painting porcelain. It was also an offering at an auction at Sotheby’s Auction House of Hong Kong in 1994. On one side of the jar-belly, the figure of Zhuge Kongming (who proved to be an excellent counselor) is sitting on a bounder under an old pine, wearing a soft scarf and a long robe. A boy attendant with two buns on his vertex is standing behind the wise man with a book case, and another boy in front of him is reporting something courteously. On the other side of the belly, there is a thrifty willow under which Liu Xuande (who proved to be a king of bold vision), wearing a thick scarf and also a long robe, is paying homage to Zhuge Kongming. Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide (both are mates of Liu Xuande) seem to be discussing something in low voices. The self-assurance of Zhuge Kongming, the eagerness of Liu Xuande to enlist Zhuge’s help, and the restlessness of Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide are all graphically portrayed by the artist.

The story of “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage” is known to nearly every household in China. It tells a story that happened in the late West Han Dynasty (202BC-9AD), when Liu Xuande, the founder of Shu State, paid three visits to Zhuge Kongming, an excellent strategist, for his assistance. The story then became a much-told tale from generation to generation. The Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain with figure paintings actually became prevalent largely because of the popularity of Zaju and other literature forms, but porcelain is merely one carrier of these literary allusions. For example, there are dramatic characters painted in brick carvings from as early as the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). In the bricks unearthed from the graves of Jin Dynasty in Houma City and Jishan County, both of Shanxi Province, figure carvings are frequently seen. Among them there is also “Yuchi Gong Singlehandedly Rescues the Lord.”

In the Yuan Dynasty, “Liuyi delivers the mail,” “Luoshen Appraisal Painting” and other stories are found portrayed as the background of bronze mirrors. Mother-of-Pearl wares have the patterns of “Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage,” “Gao Lishi Helps Take off Libai’s Boots,” and “Immortals Have a Feast at the Jade Pool” as decorations. In Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province, a golden belt buckle is found to have a figure of “The Fisher Jiang Taigong.” But in none of the mentioned handiworks of the ancient age can the paintings compete with the ones in blue and white porcelain, whether in depicting the actions and expressions of the characters or portraying the landscapes in their background.