Page 18 - Dreweatts May 19, 2015 Chinese and Asian Works of Art, Good section on late Chinese Bronzes

THE AUSPICIOUS POWER OF CR ANES

Cranes are an important component of the Chinese decorative system which is based on the use of images
whose auspicious symbolism was conveyed by their intrinsic qualities and the homophonic nature of the Chi-
nese language. The underlying principle to such a system was the belief that all natural phenomena and things
on Earth were an expression of Heaven’s will towards the human conduct. Auspicious events, therefore, were
reproduced in writing or images in China and believed to function just like their physical counterpart and thus
perpetuate their benign effects. In this way, buildings, tombs, gardens, paintings, ceramic, lacquer, metal wares
and textiles were decorated with flowers, birds, animals and other auspicious symbols.
Cranes have a long-lived tradition of connection with immortality beliefs in China. As birds with a long life span,
they were associated with longevity, immortality and wisdom, especially following the rise of Daoism from the
Han dynasty. We may recall the flying cranes appearing on the domed ceiling of the tomb of Wang Chuzhi of
the Five Dynasties and the high-ranking tombs of the Liao, and the frequent occurrence of cranes in relation to
the miraculous rebirth as immortal beings in vernacular literature dating from the 12 century.
th
Cranes were also praised for their ability to dance to music and described in the Ruiying tu of the sixth century BC
as gathering around the legendary Yellow Emperor as he practiced music on Kunlun mountains, accompanying
scholars as they played music in Tang and Song paintings and appearing in official celebrations and gatherings.
Accompanying the rites, music provided a moral and physical definition to a dynastic rule. In this context, there-
fore, cranes were interpreted as heavenly indicators of the emperor’s benevolence and sage governance. It may
not be incidental that the word for crane is in fact homophone with the Chinese word for harmony he.
Cranes became even more closely related to a successful reign/emperor during the prosperous period of North-
ern Song Emperor Huizong (r. AD 1100-1126) as the search for auspicious images increased and the Xuanhe ruilan
ce, comprising some thousand volumes recording auspicious sightings, was compiled. During this time, cranes
appeared as pennants and employed as part of the imperial regalia that accompanied many official affairs on the
court. Cranes also appeared in many Song court paintings. Cranes above Kaifeng, in particular, has been attributed
to or commissioned by Emperor Huizong. The work depicts twenty cranes appearing in flight above the Golden
Gate to the Imperial Palace on the 3rd day of the Lantern Festival - believed to be 26th February 1126) as if sent by
Heaven to sanction and celebrate one of the most glorious days of Huizong’s reign when the court was at its high-
est splendour and the emperor was united with his subjects as they wished him longevity for the year to come.
It may therefore be little surprising that cranes were also ubiquitously found at the court of the Qing emperors,
especially that of Qianlong (AD 1735-1795), emperor known for his virtuousness and appreciation of antiquity. In
this instance, cranes not only appeared in paintings but even three-dimensionally as components of miniaturised
immortal palaces made of jades, agate and other precious stones and in greater size flanking the imperial throne,
such as the one presented here. Standing on an elaborate cloisonné stand, not only does this creature serve a
highly visual appealing purpose, but in much the same way as the glorious emperors of the past, was surely em-
ployed by the Imperial House of the Qing as a powerful symbol embodying the contemporary brilliance of the
Chinese Empire.
For the occurrence of cranes in the arts of the Qing dynasty see Pine, plum and cranes pained by Shen Quan (AD
1682-1760), Cranes against Sky and Waters by Yu Xing (AD 1692-after 1767), and the miniature landscape repre-
senting the immortal island of Penglai in gold, pearls and precious stones, all part of the Imperial Collection at the
Palace Museum in Beijing and illustrated in the Royal Academy catalogue China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795,
2005, figs 268-269.
For an account on the interpretation of auspicious images see Jessica Rawson, The power of images: the
model universe of the First Emperor and its legacy, in Historical Research 75, May 2002, p.123-154 and The
Auspicious Universe, by the same author, in China. The Three Emperors 1662-1795, Royal Academy, 2005,
p. 270-305.
For an account on the interpretation of cranes at the court of Huizong see Peter Sturman, Cranes above Kaifeng:
The Auspicious Image at the Court of Huizong, in Ars Orientalis, 1990, p. 33-68.
For the occurrence of cranes during the Han dynasty see Anna Seidel, Post-Mortem Immortality or The Taoist
Resurrection of the Body, 1987.

16