Description
A Chinese gilt lacquer and vermilion plate resting on a foot ring above a shallow bowl. The sunflower shaped outer rim with a raised rounded bead along the scalloped edges and top/inner surfaces decorated in faded gilt over a dull red ground. The back side in a rich dull black with the center inset panel covered in a course hemp or ramie fabric and coated with the same dull orange-red ground. The bottom inset panel reinforced with a cross bar in a manner commonly found on plates, bowls and buckets made in the regions just south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River (see notes on Jiangnan below). The “sunflower” shape (葵口形) of this dish draws its inspiration from 13th century Song dynasty (960-1279) lacquers and even earlier Tang dynasty (618–907) metal wares, although this form was particularly popular once again in the late Ming to early Qing periods. This plate has five rather than the six lobes more commonly seen.
A landscape scene delicately rendered in gold, depicts a traditional stone building overlooking a moving body of water; a narrow bridge offers crossing to a lone pavilion perched on a rocky outcrop. Gnarled overhanging maple and pine trees and lush leafy plants are scattered across the composition. A full moon hangs high in the sky along with two elements rubbed down to where they are now unrecognizable; perhaps birds in flight or mythical beasts. Overall, a very quiet and deeply contemplative scene. The outer petals of this dish with three lucky coins and three phoenixes, alluding to the idea of enduring prosperity.
This idyllic scene is carefully created in Chinese gilt lacquer using miáojīn (描金) meaning to “depict in gold;” a unique form of gilding which involves drawing a design on the surface with a special form of “glue-like lacquer” and then applying gold leaf (or gold dust) onto the surface. After the lacquer is dried, the excess material is wiped away to reveal a design. Additional highlights and details can be painted over in black, further enhancing the imagery.
The origins of this Chinese gilt lacquer technique date as far back as the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) although it reached its zenith during the late Ming /early Qing dynasty. It is thought that this technique was passed along to Japan during the Nara period (710–784). Japanese lacquer craftsmen continued to innovate and improve upon the technique and it gradually developed into the Japanese forms of Haku-e and Maki-e. By the era of the Xuande emperor (1425-1435) the Japanese technique has already “round tripped” and made its way back to China, where it further influenced Chinese gilt lacquer development (see below “Landscape painting on a crabapple-shaped plate from The Palace Museum”).
During the Ming Dynasty, Japanese Maki-e lacquerware was popular in the area known as Jiangnan, a region just immediately south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. This region was a main centers of lacquerware production amount other things. A red and gold painted circular box depicting a landscape in the collection of the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian and dated to the Late 16th – early 17th century is attributed to a region in Jiangnan (Anhui province). As in a 16th century container for ink case made in Anhui for the son of a prosperous merchant, currently in the collection of The Minneapolis Institute of Art. The palace museum also has a similar box dated to the Wanli reign (1572 to 1620).
One can feel the mix of influences which share much in common with the themes on this plate. There is one element however that is normally associated with Ryukyu wares rather than Chinese products which is the specific stylization of the pine trees that appear at the pinnacle of the rocky outgroup in the center of the composition. And we know that at least since the 15th century, the miáojīn (描金) technique was also passed to the Ryukyu Kingdom. Contact between China and the kingdom in the earlier years was deepest between the Fujian and Jiangnan regions, which were geographically closest and thus exerted the greatest influence on earlier Ryukyu arts. If given a Ryukyu provenance there is a possibly this dish would have been made by Chinese immigrant artisans living in the kingdom at the time. It would also allude to potentially earlier dating.
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