Page 191 - Ming_China_Courts_and_Contacts_1400_1450 Craig lunas

Plate 20.3 A location code, thought to be based on the Qianzi wen 千字文 (Thousand Character Classic) and reading ‘173 - 2’, first on
right’. Nanjing Municipal Museum

translate as ‘173’ and zi 字 as the number ‘2’. The remaining The body material for these parts is dense, fine grained
two characters might then follow a similar convention, or and impermeable with many of the physical qualities of
simply indicate ‘1’ (‘first’) on the ‘right’ Pl. 20.3). stoneware. There are contemporary accounts of special
Second, this and other pieces from side-jambs are white clays being brought to Mount Jubao from Dangtu
penetrated vertically by a moulded cavity more typical of county in Taiping prefecture, some 90km upstream in
stonemasonry techniques but here pre-formed to receive a Anhui province. Taiping is renowned for its porcelain stone
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tenon to brace the jamb against lateral forces. The cavity kaolin clays and also for its white-wares production. Samples
functions also (perhaps fortuitously) to reduce the fired mass,
in places reducing the clay thickness to 20cm and assisting Plate 20.4 The blocks supporting the side-jambs of the arches are
the safe escape of water vapour in the kiln (Pl. 20.4). penetrated vertically by a stepped cavity shaped to accept a brace,
The larger components, such as those in the exhibition, strengthening the arch as a load-bearer. Nanjing Municipal Museum
are roughly cube shaped, measuring approximately 50cm
across each face, and each weighing over half a ton; all
qualities that challenge the frequent practice outside China
to label them as ‘tiles’. They are better understood as
‘architectural components’. Other similarly designed pieces
from Mount Jubao differ in size, as do examples in museum
collections. This supports depictions of the pagoda which
show its height being visually emphasised not by
architectural batter, but by progressive diminution of
applied features on higher storeys. Variations in finish and
colour palette suggest also that different craft workshops
may have been involved in the glazework (Pl. 20.5a–b).
These components are moulded in ceramic, but their
complex integral cavities come from the design repertoire of
stonemasons. This unusual combination of skills suggests
cooperation for a clearly exceptional project between
traditionally distinct craft groups. To date the identity of
these craftsmen is not known. However, though lobed ogee
arches are exotic to China, they are ubiquitous in Middle
Eastern and European architecture of the same period,
which suggests a likely direction of influence.

The Porcelain Pagoda: A Persisting Enigma | 181