Page 17 - Bonhams, The H Collection, Classical Chinese Furniture, May 13, 2021 London

‘Without an obsession, no one is exceptional’.

- Yuan Hongdao (1568-1610)

The most frequent obsessions were collecting antiques, II) Furniture: Urbane Hermits of the Scholar’s Studio
books, painting, epigraphy, calligraphy, rocks, musical
instruments, plants, animals, furniture, games, tea, and The most well-known manual of taste was the Treatise on
wine. Scholars with a strong penchant for games, for Superfluous Things (Zhang wu zhi) written by Wen Zhenheng
example, would have commissioned the creation of specific (1585-1645). In chapter six, he discusses furniture, particularly
games tables, such as Lot 66. Games, especially weiqi or tables and couches:
encirclement chess, were even considered one of the four
arts of the scholar, along with painting, calligraphy, and When the men of old made tables and couches,
playing the guqin or zither. although the length and width were not standardised,
they were invariably antique, elegant and delightful when
Scholars had also long treasured and obsessively collected placed in a studio or room. There was no way in which
archaic bronzes too such as Lots 15, 7, and 21 as material they were not convenient, whether for sitting up, lying
symbols of the Sage Confucius, and righteous King Wen down or reclining. In moments of pleasant relaxation
of Zhou. Indeed, collecting bronzes grew together with the they would spread out classic or historical texts,
‘search for evidence’ (kaozheng 考證) movement beginning in examine works of calligraphy or painting, display ancient
the early 17th century. This movement originated in a renewed bronze vessels, dine or take a nap, as the furniture was
scholarly interest in ancient texts and inscriptions on archaic suitable for all these things. 5
bronzes, as dissatisfied literati questioned the received textual
tradition of Song dynasty (960-1279) neo-Confucianism and By Wen’s time, huanghuali day-beds such as Lot 11 were seen
sought a different approach to understanding their ancient as exceedingly elegant and desirable. Wen also highlights the
heritage, leading to a greater fascination for ancient bronzes, central importance of the scholar’s studio not as a place of
particularly with inscriptions. Obsession did indeed have its mundane or tedious work, but as a place to retreat and indulge
intellectual benefits. in one’s passions. The rise of elegantly furnished scholar’s
studios went hand in hand with the rise of becoming a ‘hermit’.
Not everyone was truly obsessed however, and some
needed a little guidance to keep up with the times. What Eremitism as an ideal had deep roots in Chinese culture.
to be obsessed about; how to appreciate an object? What When Confucius found that a ruler was not willing to take his
things to look for? Craig Clunas has noted that there was advice or teachings, he could withdraw from that state’s court
‘an explosion of publishing interest in the fields of what and wander to another. During the Spring and Autumn period
might loosely be called luxury consumption, encompassing (771-476 BCE), there were many states to choose from. Under
not just high-status and high-value works like painting and a unified empire like the Ming, however, where could a scholar
calligraphy and early bronzes.’ Furniture too was a major withdraw to? In the late Ming period, eremitism no longer
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interest of Ming literati and books were published detailing meant simply escaping from the world, it became a means of
what to buy. mentally transforming one’s immediate surroundings. One no
longer had to go to the mountains surviving by eating ferns
like Boyi or Shuqi in the early Zhou dynasty. One could be a
‘hermit’ simply by retreating to the scholar’s studio even in the
middle of a crowded city.

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