Page 256 - China's Renaissance in Bronze, The Robert H.CIague Collection of Later Chinese Bronzes 1100-1900

period bronze horses, oxen, felines, gibbons, lions, of a similar piece, commenting especially on the
and other wild animals make especially elegant animal's beard; while the sculpture admittedly bears
paper weights. The list of Xuande forms is limited to some superficial resemblance to a sheep, the long,
actual animals but the list of other bronzes, presum- slender head with its broad muzzle, prominent
ably late Ming ones, also includes several mythical jaw, and small, erect ears looks more like that of a
ones; the significance, if any, of this distinction horse than that of a sheep or goat, at least to this
remains unclear, though it would be tempting to author. Given that the qilin/longma typically has
infer from it that a greater number of mythical spindly legs with cloven hooves, often has both a
animal sculptures was produced in the late Ming. scale-covered body and a beard, and sometimes
4. Perhaps an importation from Persia, the horned has selected features of a horse, the tentative iden-
bixie chimera, an imaginary creature resembling a tification of this creature as a qilin seems the more
winged lion, rose to prominence in the arts of the rational. For the similar sculpture and for its identifi-
Han dynasty. The typical Han bixie is a fully self- cation as a sheep or goat, see Oriental Ceramic
assured beast that strides forward proudly, its head Society of Hong Kong, Arts from the Scholar's
held high, its mouth open and growling, its tail curled Studio, 214-14, number 194. For a deer-like qilin with
with nervous energy. Large sculptures of bixie a beard on its lower jaw, see Mowry, Handbook,
chimeras were associated with the royal tombs of 69, number 1979.151. Attributed to the sixteenth
the Southern Dynasties during the Six Dynasties century and termed a qilin, a third sculpture of the
period. Their exact meaning remains unclear, but type represented by number 47 is published in
their ferocious demeanor suggests a tutelary Michael Goedhuis compiler, Michael Goedhuis/
function. Depicting them with wisps of flame but Colnaghi Oriental (exhibition brochure), London:
without wings, Ming artists tended to present these Michael Goedhuis/ Colnaghi Oriental, not dated,
creatures more as docile, semi-domesticated pets not paginated. Called a lion or chimera but not
than as ferocious guardians. In fact, the combi- attributed in time, another small sculpture of the type
nation of bulging, staring eyes with closed mouth represented by number 45 depicting a recumbent
and passive posture makes the Ming examples animal scratching its ear is published in Galerie
seem, by contrast, timid and diffident. Mowry, Zacke, Bronzen aus der Ming-Dynastie, number 27.
'Catalogue' in Li and Watt, The Chinese Scholar's 6. In many ways, the decoration of Ming small
Studio, 172; Robert D. Mowry, 'Chinese Jades bronze sculptures parallels that of contempo-
from Han to Qing,' Archaeology (New York), raneous vessels: early Ming vessels [number 7] and
volume 34, number 1, January-February 1981, 52-55. sculptures [number 43] both have integrally cast
5. One of the siting, or four intelligent creatures, decoration with little, if any, cold working; in addition,
mentioned in the Zhou-dynasty Liji (Book of Rites), they contrast plain surfaces with textured ones
the mythical qilin stands alongside the dragon, and they incorporate numerous spirals, whether
phoenix, and tortoise as a creature of good omen; curled manes or coiled leiwen, into the design. Late
according to Chinese legend, the qilin appears only Ming vessels [11,13] and sculptures [numbers 45-47]
during the reign of exceptionally virtuous and enlight- rely heavily on cold working for finishing details
ened emperors. Sometimes called a unicorn in English, and they show a preference for all-over decoration.
it is a symbol of longevity, grandeur, felicity, illustri-
ous offspring, and wise administration. Descriptions 48. 49
of the qilin vary widely, but it is usually said to
resemble a large stag in its general form. Combin- 1. See John Hay, Kernels of Energy, Bones of
ing the body of the musk deer with the tail of an Earth: The Rock in Chinese Art, New York: China
ox, it supposedly has the hooves of a horse and Institute in America, 1985. The Clague brushrest is
the forehead of a wolf, from which grows a single published: Sydney L. Moss Ltd, The Second Bronze
horn; its belly is yellow and its skin of five colors, Age, number 28.
red, yellow, blue, white, and black. The qilin's 2. He notes that the rocks most preferred for
voice is melodious, like the sound of bells and brushrests were of Ying and Lingbi stone, which,
other musical instruments. Other descriptions not coincidentally, were the same ones most highly
state that the qilin has two horns, that it has the prized as so-called 'scholar's rocks' - exquisitely
body of a horse, and that it is covered with scales shaped, usually igneous, rocks that scholars collect-
like a fish. Although typically shown as a deer-like ed as abstract sculpture for appreciation in their
creature, the qilin often looks more like a cloven- studios. For information on scholar's rocks, see Nancy
hoofed horse in those representations portraying Berliner, 'The Rosenblum Collection of Chinese Rocks,'
it as a fully scaled beast, especially if called by its Orientations (Hong Kong), volume 21, number 11,
alternative name, longma, or dragon horse. For more November 1990, 68-75.
information on the qilin/longma, see Williams, 3. Wen Zhenheng, Zhangwu zhi, juan 7, 201.
Outline of Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs, 409- 4. Representing the four quarters surrounding
11 (Unicorn). Gerard Tsang and Hugh Moss suggest the center, the Wuyue, or Five Sacred Mountains
a resemblance to a sheep or goat in their discussion are Mounts Tai, in Shandong province (representing

2 5 2 10 C H I N A ' S R E N A I S S A N C E I N B R O N Z E