A luduan is a beast that does not exist, a horned, maned creature said to walk a thousand miles a day and know the speech of every nation. The Wanli court…
Wanli-mark cloisonne luduan incense burner Read More »
The Jiajing reign ran for forty-five years, longer than most, and its workshops produced cloisonne in quantity and colour. This plate sets a dragon and a p…
Jiajing-mark cloisonne ‘Dragon and Phoenix’ plate Read More »
Two dragons crouch at the shoulders of this Jingtai-mark vase, gripping the neck so the vessel can be carried. Below them runs the interlocking lotus that…
Jingtai-mark cloisonne ‘Interlocking Lotus’ vase with dragon handles Read More »
This zun takes its name from the Jingtai reign, and that matters. The Jingtai emperor ruled for only eight years in the mid fifteenth century, yet his reig…
Jingtai-mark cloisonne ‘Interlocking Lotus’ zun with beast handles Read More »
The Xuande emperor’s court built this beaker in copper and glass rather than bronze. It is a gu, an ancient ritual shape, here remade in cloisonne, the cra…
Xuande-mark cloisonne ‘Interlocking Lotus’ gu beaker Read More »
A single branch of peach blossom, painted by an unknown Southern Song hand, is all the argument this leaf needs.
Green Peach Blossoms (碧桃图页) Read More »
Most Song painting shows scholars and courtiers. This one shows people laughing behind masks, and it is a gift to anyone who wants to know how ordinary Son…
The Great Nuo Exorcism (大傩图轴) Read More »
The most demanding art patron in Chinese history also painted small things with enormous care. A loquat branch with a single bird carries his manner, and t…
Loquat and Mountain Bird (赵佶枇杷山鸟图页) Read More »
Someone in the Song dynasty walked a garden with a brush and set down one flower after another. The result is a handscroll now called One Hundred Flowers,…
One Hundred Flowers (百花图卷) Read More »
A Northern Song court painter left us a winter so quiet you can almost hear the cold. Liang Shimin painted it. The handscroll is now called Reed Banks in H…
Reed Banks in Heavy Snow (梁师闵芦汀密雪图卷) Read More »
