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"A New Story: Masterpieces of Ming Dynasty Figure Paintings from the Palace Museum" is on display at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the first exhibition of ancient Chinese figure paintings in Hong Kong. The 81 sets of the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing, of which 14 are national first-class cultural relics, covering the mid-14th century to the mid-17th century, there are many masterpieces of the "Four Great Masters of the Ming Dynasty" Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming and Qiu Ying, which are portrayals of the history, culture and life of the Ming Dynasty.
The exhibition will be held until 30 November 2024 in four phases, each lasting about three months, showcasing about 20 sets of exhibits, most of which will be on display for the first time.
From the perspective of cultural relics protection, ancient calligraphy and painting paper or silk cultural relics are very sensitive to light, temperature and humidity, and most of the cultural relics exhibits will return to the Palace Museum to hibernate for several years after this exhibition.
What is particularly rare is that many of the "national treasure" paintings in the exhibition are opened in the whole volume, which is convenient for the audience to observe the "treasure hunt". The paintings that carry the historical heritage and life atmosphere of the Ming Dynasty connect the ancient and the modern, the Chinese and the Western, and reproduce the vitality in the audience's appreciation and interpretation.
Exclusively sponsored by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and co-organised by the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the Palace Museum, the following are some of the highlights of the exhibition.
Zhu Zhanji Xingle of Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty (detail), anonymous, Ming, mid-to-late fifteenth century, handscroll with ink and color on silk, 36.7 cm long, 690 cm wide.
There is a category of court paintings in the Ming Dynasty that depict the life of the emperor and major historical events. This volume depicts the scene of Zhu Zhanji's plain clothes and hat watching various sports performances in the Imperial Garden. From right to left, the scene of archery, juju, polo playing, pounding pills, throwing pots, and the emperor driving back to the palace is separated by a palace wall or barrier. The scene is grand and complex and detailed, vividly showing the cultural and sports entertainment activities in the palace at that time.
Because it is necessary to reflect a specific location and environment, this volume depicts a large number of buildings, and makes a realistic and general description of the towers and palaces of the Ming Dynasty imperial palace according to the original historical appearance in a neat and delicate realistic way, which is an important material for the study of the history of the Ming Dynasty court and the imperial architecture.
Ming Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, the eldest son of Emperor Mingrenzong, was established as the emperor's grandson in the ninth year of Yongle, and he followed Chengzu several times. Hongxi ascended the throne in the first year, with the era name Xuande, and became the fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In the first year of Xuande, he pacified the rebellion of Gaoxu, and his father Ming Renzong, he was more able to listen to the opinions of his subordinates, listened to the advice of his ministers Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong, and stopped using troops against Jiaolu, and Ming Renzong called it "the rule of Ren Xuan", and the relationship between the monarch and the minister during Xuanzong was harmonious, and the economy also developed steadily.
Visiting Putu on a Snowy Night, Liu Jun, Ming, mid-to-late fifteenth century, vertical scroll on silk, 143.2 cm long, 75 cm wide.
This work is a historical story painting, depicting the historical facts of Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, visiting Zhao Pu at night and asking about the scheme. Zhao Pu was Zhao Kuangyin's right-hand man, and he once followed him to unify the north and the south and establish the imperial industry. Song Taizu often went to Zhao Pu's mansion to discuss state affairs after retiring from the dynasty. According to the "History of the Song Dynasty • The Biography of Zhao Pu", one day of heavy snowfall, Zhao Pu thought that the saint would not visit on this day, but suddenly heard a knock on the door, opened the door and found Song Taizu standing in the wind and snow. "Visiting Putu on a Snowy Night" depicts this historical scene.
In the Privy Vice-Chancellor's Mansion, which has a spacious courtyard and several heavy buildings, two people sit around the fireplace in the middle of the front hall. The first to sit is Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, wearing a scarf and hat, wearing a pan-necked narrow-sleeved robe, a brocade belt around the waist, a burly figure, extraordinary bearing, his solemn expression, the posture of listening sideways, appropriately expressed the demeanor and mood of visiting the virtuous in the middle of the night and discussing national affairs. Privy Deputy Shi Zhaopu, dressed in civilian clothes, sat on the side of the lower head and spoke respectfully, detailing his sincere and courtierly demeanor.
While the painter deliberately depicts the main figure, he also makes a detailed description of the scene. Near the rocks and distant mountains, the old trees and crows are all shrouded in night, and the bamboo leaves, branches, and roofs are covered with snow, and the weather is obviously very cold. In order to highlight Zhao Kuangyin's identity as the Son of Heaven, there are symbolically painted four guards outside the gate, who seem to have been waiting for a long time. These subtle depictions deepen the theme of visiting the virtuous on a snowy night.
"Orchid Pavilion Repair Map", Wen Zhengming (1470-1559), 21st year of Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (1542), handscroll with gold paper and color, 24.2 cm long, 60.1 cm wide.
"Cultivation" is an ancient custom, originally a ritual to pray for blessings and ward off disasters, but later gradually evolved into a classic ritual for literati to gather. In the first month of March of the lunar calendar, people have to go to the water's edge to bathe with herbs to ward off evil spirits, as early as the Western Zhou Dynasty had a similar custom. During the Warring States period, due to the different conditions of each country, the method of "repair" was also slightly different. In the Jin Dynasty, it evolved into an activity in which literati and writers took this opportunity to gather on the waterfront, drink and write poems, and compete in talents, among which the Lanting Repair was particularly famous.
This picture shows the widely circulated literary story "Lanting Repair", reflecting the scene in the "Lanting Preface" by Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The picture depicts the lofty mountains, the streams mean, and many scribes sitting or lying on the banks of the streams, watching the wine buds sent by the gurgling streams between the mountains and waters, and concentrating on the idea. Wang Xizhi and the other three people sitting opposite each other on the water pavilion were commenting on the poems that had been written. The trees are shady, the bamboos are green, and the spring color is intoxicating.
"Lanting Cultivation Map" was painted by Wen Zhengming when he was 73 years old with green landscape techniques. The clothing lines and eyebrows of the characters are simple, and a few lines outline the chic figure of the literati. The whole picture is bright and rich, the picture is mainly green, and the slope stone at the foot of the mountain is rendered in light ochre, which is thick and elegant, bright and unique.
Wind and Wood, Tang Yin (1470-1524), Ming Dynasty, early 16th century ink pen and ink handscroll on paper, 108 cm long, 28.5 cm wide.
The word wind and wood is exemplified in the ninth volume of "Han Poems": "The tree wants to be quiet but the wind does not stop, and the son wants to raise but does not wait." "Ming Dynasty Gu Dadian "The Legend of Green Shirts: Yuan Bai Speculation": "In the early years, I lost my sorrow, often cherished the sorrow of the wind and wood; "It is a metaphor for the death of parents, and it is too late to support.
According to incomplete statistics, the preface, notes or poems of the Ming Dynasty people preserved in the anthology of the Ming Dynasty about the "Wind and Wood Map" amounted to 26 articles, which shows that this is a popular painting theme in the Ming Dynasty. Tang Yin's "Wind and Wood Map" was made for Ye Ximo, and Xu Chu, a famous scholar in Wuzhong, inscribed the first four words "Wind and Wood Residual Hatred". This picture depicts two dead trees in ink, and a person leaning against Pudun between the trees, sad. Tang Yin inscribed on the painting: "The west wind blows the leaves and the court is cold, and the son of the evil is speechless and his nose is sour." The heart is in the nine springs, the lamp is on the wall, and the blood and tears are dry. Tang Yin also suffered a funeral when he was young, and the thoughts of wind and wood naturally flowed into his writing.
Filial piety is the foundation of maintaining family ethics and social order in ancient China, "Fengmu Tu" embodies the filial piety and sorrow of the painter, and also allows the inscription to communicate with the painting in the form of poetry. It is unique among many paintings depicting autumn scenes, and it is truly an immortal masterpiece.
Gong Gong Tu (detail), Qiu Ying (c. 1494-1552), Ming Dynasty, mid-16th century, handscroll with ink and color on silk, 29.5 cm long; 580.3cm in width.
Gong Gong, which means to pay tribute, refers to an activity in which the leaders of various countries and ethnic minorities in ancient times paid tribute to the emperor of the Central Plains to show their submission or alliance. The theme of "Gong Gong Tu" has existed since ancient times, and it is a documentary picture depicting Gong Gong, which has left first-hand materials for today's people to understand the costumes, customs, and specialties of countries around the world.
This picture scroll depicts the scene of the frontier peoples entering Beijing to pay tribute. The first is Xu Chu's seal book "Zhuyi Tribute", and then it depicts eleven tributary teams: Jiuxi and Eighteen Cave Lords, Han'er, Bohai, Khitan Kingdom, Kunlun Kingdom, Queen Kingdom, Three Buddhas, Tubo, Annan He, Western Xia Kingdom, and Korean Kingdom. Along the way, the mountain peaks are undulating, the white clouds are swirling, the mountain roads are rugged, the trees are shaded, and the waterfalls flow to the springs. Several tributary men and horses dressed in strange costumes of various ethnic groups, carrying large flags, leading horses and camels, and carrying treasures slowly marched. There are many characters in the picture, the scene is grand, the composition is complex but not chaotic, and it is well organized.
The whole picture is rigorous with a brush, the characters are vivid and detailed, and the colors are bright and vulgar, which is a masterpiece of Qiu Ying's character painting.
Three Teachings, Ding Yunpeng (1547-1628 onwards), Ming Dynasty, late 16th or early 17th century, 115.6 cm long, 55.7 cm wide on vertical scroll on paper.
The idea of the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism has a long history in China, and by the Ming Dynasty, the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism had become the mainstream of thought. In the history of ancient Chinese art, this is also a traditional theme in painting, known as the "Three Religions", also known as the "Three Religions Sage Picture" and "Three Sages Picture", which usually paints the representative figures of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in one picture, in order to represent the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, showing the characteristics of Chinese culture openness, tolerance, harmony, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and becoming an artistic witness of the integration of religions in Chinese history.
This picture depicts Confucius, Lao Tzu, and the red-clothed Arhat sitting under a tree to explore the metaphysics together. In the painting, three wise elders have serious faces and attentive expressions, Confucius is elegant and generous, and is making speeches; Lao Tzu is cautious and eloquent, he looks at the other person, as if ready to ask questions at any time; and the red-clothed arhat has his eyes downcast, serene and calm, and his brow is tightly knit to show that he is deep in thought.
The picture depicts the scene of the founders of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism sitting together under a tree and talking, in fact, this kind of scene never existed, and the painter only expressed his worship of Buddhism and Taoism and his respect for Confucianism with the brush in his hand. In the painting, Ding Yunpeng is because of his own good at Buddha statues on the one hand, and on the other hand, he is a believer, so he puts Shakyamuni in the center, sitting under the green cypress and Bodhi tree, with a crystal of class, a protruding nose, a beard, and a red robe, and the appearance of the Dharma is solemn and kind. On the rocks on both sides of Shakya, Confucius and Lao Tzu are depicted sitting on their sides. Confucius wore a long beard and a blue robe with dark flowers. Lao Tzu has a skeletal Quan Qi, long eyebrows and sparse hair, a brown cloth robe, and red shoes.
In terms of painting, the use of "ancient gossamer drawing", fine and "great", not only has a sense of simplicity, but also has the atmosphere of the times. The colors are ancient and cold, especially the red, blue and ochre colors of the characters' costumes, and the colors are calm and harmonious. The mountains and rocks and trees outline and add color, take the French language, and the small green and green colors are quiet and elegant, creating a quiet and light artistic conception, which is fascinating.
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Editor: Oriental