Page 16 - Bonhams UK Marsh Collection Art for the Literati November 2, 2022

This Fleeting World of Dreams:
The Influence of Chinese Literati Paintings on Porcelain

from Jingdezhen in the late Ming and early

Qing Dynasties

Wang Bin, Jingdezhen potter and scholar of ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy
Huang Qinghua, founder of the Tang Ying Society, member of the British Oriental Ceramic Society

The late Ming and early Qing period was a I) The Influence of Literati Painting Theory on
complicated time of change and social unrest. Porcelain Painting
However, in this unusual and unique Transitional
period, art shone more and more brilliantly. 1.1 The Transmission of Eremitism from Literati
Whether it was in the field of painting, literature, Painting to Porcelain
opera, garden design or any other handicrafts
in the Yangzi delta area, one can see an In the late Ming dynasty, the corruption of the
unprecedented development. These new trends government and the change of regime heightened
in literati aesthetics all had a profound impact on a sense of the illusory, fleeting nature of society.
Shen Zhou, Fishing the painting of porcelain in Jingdezhen at that The literati faced the dream of a prosperous empire
time. Porcelain painting absorbed and merged being smashed under the hooves of war horses.
with traditional literati painting: with superb skill Thus, the mentality of those loyal to the previous
and novel content, it entered a brilliant era in this dynasty was one of desperation. Therefore, the
Transitional period. scholar’s thoughts turned from thinking about
climbing the ladder of career-success to thinking
In this period, the scholar-official class and about the relationship between man, heaven, and
merchants with a certain aesthetic taste became earth, and how to find meaning in this limited life.
the main consumers of porcelain. Custom-made At this time, many literati chose to live in seclusion
porcelain inscribed with literati hall marks also in the mountains and forests, concealing their
came into being around this time. For example, independent thoughts and lofty spirit. In seclusion
when Mi Wanzhong (1570-1628), a famous they could be more tolerant of the world and more
calligrapher and painter in the Tianqi period was an concerned about their inner thoughts. From the
Hongren, landscape from album leaf official in Jiangxi, he commissioned porcelain for writings of Wen Zhenheng, Li Yu and others, it
his residences in Beijing, Zhanyuan and Shaoyuan, can be seen that they also pursued a secluded
with hall marks such as ‘Mi jia shuhua chuan zhi’ and elegant life dedicated to aesthetics. They
(Made for the painting and calligraphy boat of the indulged in painting and calligraphy, porcelain,
Mi family), and ‘Tianqi nian shaoyuan zhi’ (Made travel, and garden design etc. These intellectuals
for Shaoyuan in the Tianqi reign). This is typical of lived in splendid seclusion, rich in taste and
porcelain made for the literati at the time. Moreover, with independence; a lifestyle sought-after and
porcelain not only needed to satisfy the demands emulated by ordinary people in society at that time.
of daily usage but became endowed with special Between life and death, the literati experienced a
functions for the literati such as brushpots and world in constant flux, and retreating to painting
Early Kangxi, a blue and white waterpots, and other items for the scholar’s studio became their means of spiritual sustenance.
brushpot private collection which had never been seen before. At the same For this reason, porcelain paintings often depict
time, painting and decoration on these pieces scenes of lonely, thatched huts in the mountains,
of porcelain absorbed literati tastes; thus, many desolate woods in Autumn colours, and lofty sages
pieces emerged decorated with landscapes, gazing at the moon, old men fishing alone in the
figures and auspicious objects, creating a new light cold river etc. These themes are all common to
in the art of porcelain in the late Ming and early literati painting and embody the literati ideal of the
Qing dynasties. mountain hermit and their thoughts of reclusion
from the dusty world.
From the comparison of the above porcelain pieces
with the paintings of Shen Zhou and Hongren, we
can see that the paintings on porcelain were in line
Early Kangxi, a blue and white with the artistic conception of seclusion and retreat
brushpot private collection into nature.