Page 426 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

2/9 they were endowed by the Chinese literati (and, strength. Much as in calligraphy, the brush line
JAR following their lead, by the Koreans) with attri- possesses independent aesthetic interest while
butes which they themselves esteemed and identi- still clearly describing the subject. The dark-on-
late i$th century fied with. The plum, which blossoms when light patches of blue forming the plum blossoms,
Korean winter still grips the land, symbolizes purity and the thin, pale outlines of the bamboo stalks with
white porcelain with underglaze blue painted plum loftiness; the bamboo, which bends under the their even lighter interiors, and the treatment of
tree and bamboo
height 41 (i6Vs) storm but does not break and straightens when the bamboo leaves all contribute to the unique-
reference: Gompertz 1968, 53-68 the storm has passed, was a symbol of resilience ness of this vessel's style and design.
and straightness. These two, together with the Although the shape of the jar and the subject
Ho-Am Art Museum, Kyonggi Province pine, which stood for courage, steadfastness, and composition of its decoration as well as cer-
and incorruptibility, were known as the "Three tain elements of style relate to late fourteenth and
From a short, wide neck the body of this massive Friends of Winter/ 7 emblematic of scholarly early fifteenth century Chinese wares, other fea-
jar first swells outward, then curves rather perseverance and integrity. That such images tures, such as the use of fine outline with pale,
sharply inward before flaring gently outward just should have wide appeal during the fifteenth cen- even wash, compare with Chinese wares of the
above the thick foot. Between borders of ornate, tury in Korea is easily understandable; it was a later fifteenth century, that is, from the reign of
stylized lotus petals at the shoulder and base the period of intense literary activity and one during the Chenghua emperor (1464-1487) onward.
entire body is given over to a picture of a blos- which the highest value was placed on scholarly Approximately contemporaneous with the Cheng-
soming plum tree and stalks of bamboo. The principles and pursuits. hua reign-era was the reign of King Songjong in
gnarled trunk and branches of the old tree twist A number of early Ming Chinese porcelain jars, Korea (r. 1469-1494), when court painters were
and recurve; only the younger twigs sprout blos- splendidly painted in underglaze cobalt blue or called upon to assist in decorating blue-and-white
soms. Leafy bamboo intersects and intermingles copper red with the "Three Friends of Winter" ceramics. On a well-known maebyong (C: mei-
with the plum. Balancing this powerful primary bordered by lotus panels, serve as precedents for ping) bottle in the Dongkuk University Museum
zone of decoration, the lotus panels are strongly this one. Korean decorators however, usually is a design of pine and bamboo, painted with stir-
painted and their interiors richly embellished. depicted only two of the "Three Friends" on any ring individuality; the vessel bears a date corre-
The lower ring of petals in particular engages our one piece, as was done on the present jar. Most sponding to 1489. Very probably this as well as
attention, since it functions not as a mere abstract noteworthy here, however, is the astonishing the present jar with plum and bamboo are exam-
border but pictorially, as a fence blocking our view technical proficiency and aesthetic individuality ples of the superlative work produced by the
of the base of the plum tree and the bamboo stalks. of the painter. The undulating outline of the tree highly skilled and creative artists of the royal
Blossoming plum and bamboo were of course moves swiftly and rhythmically, breaking here Choson court. M.A.R.
prized for their natural beauty, but in addition and there and resuming with great verve and

280
BOTTLE

i$th century
Korean
white porcelain with underglaze blue decoration
height 25 (9%]
reference: Gompertz 1968, 53-68
Ho-Am Art Museum, Kyonggi Province

A fuller upper torso than is usual for a "pear-
shaped" vessel characterizes this bottle. From a
low, wide ring-foot, which imparts a feeling of
steadiness and stability, the globular lower body
contracts gently toward the narrow neck and
gracefully everted lip. To produce the painted
decoration, cobalt oxide pigment was brushed
onto the clay body before glazing; firing trans-
formed the gray-black pigment to the rich and
vibrant blues visible here. Where the pigment was
thickly applied, it fired to an inky blackish hue,
which on this piece is particularly noticeable on
the snout of the dragon charging through a cloud-
filled sky. Its body and outstretched limbs are
crusty with scales, and a ridge of jagged upright
scales runs the length of its serpentine back. The
beast is bearded and maned. Its long snout is
snapped shut and its bulging eyes are intently
TOWARD CATHAY 425