QINGCI WARES OF THE SONG DYNASTY IN KHANENKO MUSEUM: SPECIFICS OF DÉCOR, TECHNOLOGY AND USE

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  O. Novikova

  O. Lagutenko

Abstract

This study examines the artifacts of qingci (“green wares” of the Song period) from the collection of The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts in the context of their artistic and aesthetic appearance and their place in Chinese culture.
It has been found that initially the qingci wares in China served as a substitute for more expensive materials, but gradually the attitude to them changed. Due to the development of tea culture, trade, and political changes, qingci have transformed from utilitarian wares to collectibles.
It has been determined that the decor and color of the works are directly related to the manufacturing technique. The names of the Song ceramic types come from the names of individual workshops specializing in making their own developments. Therefore, their wares differed in shape, color, and decor.
The first item, a Junyao plate, is a trademark of Jun’s workshops, manufacturing green and blue-and-green glazed dishes with purple and brown spots. It was found that the spotted decor was formed due to the content of copper compounds in watering. The main color of green or blue-and-green shades was formed due to the presence of iron oxide in watering. Dishes with spotted decor were revered both among ordinary users and the elite representatives of that time, primarily as tea utensils, calligraphy accessories, and office decoration.
The second item, a five tubes (spouts) jar, was manufactured in the workshops of Longquan. The Chinese name for such vessels is the duo guan pin – “vase / vessel with several tubes”, or vu guan (pin) – “vase / vessel with five tubes”.
Its decor is made of waterlogged engraved patterns in the form of lotus petals and oblique lines. The surface coloration has a deep gray-green color with orange edges, typical of Longquan wares.
It has been found that such vases were used as funeral utensils. In the context of belief in the afterlife, the Chinese thought of the duoguan as a container for the soul of the deceased. They were filled with bones, ashes, wine, or seeds of five cereals, thus wishing prosperity in the afterlife to the deceased, and wealth and prosperity on earth to his descendants. The five tubes served as a kind of symbolic portals for the journey of the soul or souls of the deceased and practically served as incense.
It has been established that the decoration of the vase was connected with the aesthetics of Buddhism, which is indicated by the pagoda-like silhouette and the engraved pattern in the form of lotus petals. At the same time, five tubes, similar to bamboo shoots, testify to the Chinese pictorial tradition and symbolism, in which bamboo embodies resilience, longevity, and spiritual growth. In addition, the number five is the embodiment of the Usin concept and the ideas of the Chinese about China’s place in the center of the world.
In the process of researching the wares, a number of similar artworks were found providing the grounds to date the wares on the basis of their shape, nature of decoration, and color, namely the plate was dated to the 12–13th centuries, and the burial vase to the Northern Song period (960–1127).

How to Cite

Novikova, O., & Lagutenko, O. (2021). QINGCI WARES OF THE SONG DYNASTY IN KHANENKO MUSEUM: SPECIFICS OF DÉCOR, TECHNOLOGY AND USE. The World of the Orient, (3 (112), 72-83. https://doi.org/10.15407/orientw2021.03.072
Article views: 89 | PDF Downloads: 79

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Keywords

China, greenware, Jun, Longquan, qingci, Song dynasty, The Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts

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