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...c o n t i n u e d > Horses from Ferghana had been coveted for their prowess and strength and were crucial to the imperial expansion over north and western China from the time of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). By the Tang Dynasty, they had become one of the most iconic status symbols of the elite not only in daily life, where they actively engaged in equestrian pursuits for their leisure, but of the afterlife as well. It is this latter capacity that the highly unusual dappled horse is an important and resplendent example (catalogue no. 12). In secular life, some of the most definitive and evocative images of the pleasures and disappointments of daily life from different points in time are captured in the four bronze gamesters of the Han period (catalogue no. 1) and the very lively Tang earthenware figures (catalogue nos. 9 to 11). From elation to dejection the expressiveness of the bronzes are perceptive vignettes of life in miniature. The elegant court lady of high fashion in the black robe has an air of importance and nonchalant confidence while her counterpart, dressed in men’s apparel is a paragon of the emancipated woman of privilege of the time. Repeating this theme, the unconventional female polo players are caught in the fierce frenzy of what must have seemed unsuitably masculine contest. From the kilns of ancient China to the last Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the most widely admired and most famous wares in Chinese ceramics bore white, green or black glazes. The white wares from the Xing and Gongxian kilns of the Tang Dynasties were widely exported to as far as Egypt to the west and Indonesia in the south (catalogue nos. 14 to 18). The famed black wares of northern China came largely from Henan province (catalogue nos. 22, 23). Yaozhou, famed for its green wares (catalogue no. 20) had earlier been known for black and later on, persimmon coloured glazes. These are combined together dramatically on a rare example (catalogue no. 21). Both Yaozhou and Ding wares (catalogue nos. 15, 16) were sent to the Song court as tribute. Apart from the judicious colours and lustrous quality of the glazes, the shapes of Chinese ceramics remain one of the most astonishing legacies of the anonymous potters of ancient times. Organic, floral or complex and sculptural (catalogue no. 26) they were able to conjure up marvels of mood ranging from serene quietude to rugged pictorial vigour. The colours alone, white, meditative, pure; green, suggestive of mists in a verdant atmosphere and black, rugged, deep, mysterious, are all part of a ceramic lore comprised of mystical colours. It is my hope that the viewer will find in this motley gathering of objects, a refreshing perspective on the familiar or pleasure in new discovery. Anthony Lin |
RARE BLUE AND SANCAI-GLAZED POTTERY FIGURE |
