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33
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ARS ORIENTALIS
VOLUME 3312003
Sponsoredby the FREER and the DEPARTMENT
GALLERY OF ART, SMITHSONIAN
A R S
INSTITUTION
OF THE HISTORY OF ART, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Publishedby the FREER
GALLERY OF ART, SMITHSONIAN
INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON,
D.C.
ARS ORIENTALISVOLUME33 Co-Editors Ann C. Gunter Margaret Cool Root Manuscript Editor Ann Hofstra Grogg Designer Carol Beehler Managing Editor DeeDee Clendenning
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN EDITORIAL BOARD Sussan Babaie Qiang Ning Martin J. Powers Margaret Cool Root Thelma K. Thomas FREER GALLERY OF ART EDITORIAL
Joseph Chang Louise Cort Debra Diamond Massumeh Farhad Ann C. Gunter Julian Raby Jan Stuart James T. Ulak Ann Yonemura
EDITORIAL OFFICES Ars Orientalis Freer Gallery of Art Smithsonian Institution 37012,
Printedin the United Statesof America ? 2004 SmithsonianInstitution, Washington,D.C. Cosponsoredby the Departmentof the Historyof Art, Universityof Michigan, and the FreerGalleryof Art, Smithsonian Institution,ArsOrientalissolicits scholarly manuscriptson the art and archaeology of Asia,includingthe ancient Near East and the Islamicworld. Fosteringa broad range of themes and approaches,articles of interestto scholarsin diversefields or disciplinesare particularlysought, as are suggestionsfor occasionalthematicissues and reviewsof importantbooks in Western or Asian languages.Briefresearchnotes and responsesto articlesin previousissues of Ars Orientaliswill also be considered. Submissionsmust be in English,with all non-Englishquotationsnormallyprovided in translation.Authorsare askedto follow TheChicagoManual of Style,i5th ed.
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[email protected] edu/-aos/. The full text of Ars Orientalisis also availablein the electronicversionsof the Art Index. COVER:Ritualvessel,hu (vesselA, 1:5015) from the tomb of Liu Sheng,earlyWestern
Han, firsthalf of the second century bronzewith gold and silverinlay,h. 44.2 cm, diam. 28.5 cm. Hebei Provincial B.C.,
Museum,Shijiazhuang. Typesettingby GeneralTypographersInc., Washington,D.C. Printedon acid-freepaper.
Contents 9
Editors'Preface
11
WrittenOrnament- OrnamentalWriting:Birdscriptof the EarlyHan Dynastyand the Art of Enchanting FRANcOIS LOUIS, The BardGraduateCenter,New York
33
AuspiciousMotifs in Ninth- to Thirteenth-CenturyChineseTombs ELLENJOHNSTON LAING, Universityof Michigan,Ann Arbor
77
A JinHall at Jingtusi:Architecturein Searchof Identity NANCY SHATZMANSTEINHARDT,Universityof Pennsylvania,Philadelphia
121
Narratingthe Salvationof the Elite:The JofukujiPaintings of the TenKings QUITMANE. PHILLIPS,
Universityof Wisconsin,Madison
147
The MaduraiNayakasand the SkandaTempleat Tirupparankundram CRISPINBRANFOOT,De MontfortUniversity,Leicester
181
Siwa in Java:The MajesticGreatGod and the Teacher ALESSANDRA LOPEZY ROYO, School of
Universityof London
Orientaland AfricanStudies,
BOOKREVIEWS
199
Sealson the PersepolisFortificationTablets,volume 1,Imagesof HeroicEncounter,by MarkB. Garrisonand MargaretCool Root RONALDWALLENFELS,New YorkUniversity
202
Excavations at Surt (Medinat al-Sultan) Between 1977and 1981,
by Geza Fehervairi,'Abbas Hamdani,Masoud Shaghlouf,and Hal Bishop,edited by ElizabethSavage SCOTT REDFORD,GeorgetownUniversity,Washington,D.C.
205
PeerlessImages:PersianPaintingand Its Sources,by EleanorSims, with Boris Marshakand ErnstJ.Grube MASSUMEH FARHAD,FreerGalleryof Art and ArthurM. Sackler
Gallery,SmithsonianInstitution,Washington,D.C. 208
Encyclopaediaof Indian TempleArchitecture: SouthIndia,Dravidade-sa, Later Phase, c. A.D.
volumes, edited by GeorgeMitchell The Templesin Kumbhariya,edited by M. A. Dhakyand U. S. Moorti ADAM HARDY,De Montfort University,Leicester 212
1289-1798,
Inventoryof Monumentsat Pagan,volumes 1-8, by PierrePichard DONALD M. STADTNER
m C', 0 CD
LLJ
0 -j 0
8
2
BOOK
REVIE
WVS
Editors'Preface The currentvolumeof ArsOrientalisrepresentsa new phasein the longstandingcollaborationbetweenthe Universityof Michigan'sDepartmentof the History of Artand the FreerGalleryof Art.In summer2003, the journal'seditorialand subscriptionofficesmoved fromAnnArborto Washington,D.C.JulianRaby, who had assumedthe directorshipof the FreerGallery of ArtandArthurM. SacklerGallery,Smithsonian Institution,in spring2002, providedofficespacefor the journal'sheadquartersand askedAnn C. Gunter, curatorof ancientNearEasternart,to overseeediting, production,and distribution.MargaretCool Root, professorof ancientNearEasternartat the University of Michiganand curatorat the KelseyMuseum of Archaeology,agreedto serveas co-editorand departmentalliaisonwith the FreerGalleryof Art. The editorialboardin Ann Arborand the editorial committeein Washingtonwouldliketo express theirdeepestappreciationto MargaretLourie,who servedfor 13 years(1990-2003) as managingeditor of the journal.Hersteadfasteffortsandlongstanding tenureensuredthatthe journalmaintainedits high standardsof publishingimportantscholarship,thanks in no smallmeasureto the manyscholarswith whom she correspondedas authorsand reviewers.Shehas generouslymadeavailableher knowledgeand advice to those at the FreerGalleryof Artchargedwith carryingon her legacyof excellence,andthey are muchindebtedto her for makingthe transitionas smooth as possible. ArsOrientaliscelebratesits fiftiethanniversary in 2004. Weplanto devotespecialcoverageto the journal'shistoryin volume34 (2004), a thematic issuedevotedto the studyof IndianOceansocieties ("Communitiesand Commodities:WesternIndiaand the IndianOcean,Eleventh-FifteenthCenturies") now scheduledto appearearlyin 2005. Withvolume
the journalexpectsto resumeits normal publicationscheduleand appearin Octoberof each year.Weappreciatethe patienceof subscribersand authorsalikeduringthis periodof transition. Overthe pastyear,staffmembersat the Freer Galleryof Arthaveassistedin myriadwaysto set up new editorialand financialproceduresandto reestablishcontactwith subscribers.Thejournal's readersand potentialauthorscan now followthe publicationschedule,contents,and submission guidelinesat the new web pagelocatedat http://www. asia.si.edu/visitor/arsorientalis.htm. New paymentoptionsfor subscribershavebeen introduced,and contactreestablishedwith many subscribers.CarolBeehlerhas redesignedthe journal, and manuscripteditorAnn HofstraGrogghas created styleguidesfor authorsand editors.As of September 2004, the journalalso has a new managingeditor. DeeDeeClendenning,who previouslyservedas managingeditorof a literaryjournal,has turned her experienceand skillsto the smoothoperationof
35 (2005),
Ars Orientalis.
Ann Gunterwouldliketo thankJacquelineBullock and HowardKaplanfor assistancewith the web page, PatriciaAdamsand SharronGreenefor guidanceon financialmatters,EdwardBoydfor designinga new subscriberdatabase,andAngelaJerardifor essential taskstoo numerousto list. The currentvolumewould not havebeenpossiblewithoutcrucialinformation and adviceon diversematterssinologicalfrom StephenAllee,JosephChang,DavidHogge,Ingrid Larsen,JanStuart,andWeinaTray.JulianRaby, director,and JamesT.Ulak,deputydirector,have supportedthe transitionto Washingtonand a new phaseof our collaborativeeffortsat everystage. Ann C. Gunter MargaretCool Root Co-editors,Ars Orientalis
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9
Ars Orientalis VOLUME33
Errata Due to a printer error two Chinese characters on page 16 were omitted. The transcription and translation for Vessel A in FraQnoisLouis's article should read: Vessel A
EIt: ~ V2~ "Encircledby fourinvocations,2l $it:)@ 50X t4Lv8eg
I:4 11
What excellent vessel,22what perfect vase.23 May your liquid abound in aroma And please us to our heart's content,24 Flood the palate full with flavor,25
5~~IILIJt Imbue with moistness blood and skin.26 jg Prolong life, dispel disease For ten thousand years and more." ;ff4@
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FRANQOIS LOUIS
ABSTRACT
Written
Ornamentt-
Ornamental Writing Birdscriptof the EarlyHan Dynasty and the Art of Enchanting
Among the discoveries made in the tomb of Liu Sheng (before 154-113/112 B.C.) at Mancheng, Hebei, were two bronze vessels whose main decoration consists of ornately designed text. Verbal signs here are simultaneously ornamental signs; calligraphy is written text and decorative texture alike. This study recognizes the two vessels as particularly relevant to the larger discourse on ornament in early China. It examines the aesthetic qualities of the vessels, decodes the text, and discusses the objects within their ritual context. It also positions Han birdscript within early calligraphic traditions and finally discusses the provenance of the vessels. As possessions of Liu Sheng, the jars are interpreted as efficacious tools of worship and as historic artworks that offered the prince a means for aristocratic self-representation, religious devotion, and personal delight. Originally, however, the vessels appear to have been designed as a reactionary political statement of an earlier Han noble, expressing his assertion of newly gained ruling power.
Among the sensational discoveries made in 1968 in the tomb of Liu Sheng WIJ, King Jing of Zhongshan
41 [OA i4I E (before 154-113/112 B.C.) at Mancheng, Hebei, were two bronze vessels whose main decoration consists of ornately designed text (figs. 1, 2).1 The characters on these unique jars -written termed "birdscript," niaozhuan ,
in a style
, or "bird-and-
difficult ,%,+are to read. Not only is their basic sealscript structure insect writing," niaochongshu
obscured by added curves, curls, hooks, and bird and fish images, as well as by missing strokes, but the text is also written around the vessel body, so that it can never be seen fully; particularly in the initial stages of the deciphering process, it is not clear where the text begins. Modern epigraphists, who feel challenged to read this decoration as a written text, therefore resort to drawing the characters on a piece of paper and working from there (figs. 3, 4).2 Yet an educated member of the Western Han elite who was intimately
41.
familiar with sealscript may well have thought that
I C
deciphering the text directly from the vessel was a most entertaining and absorbing aesthetic experi-
C
ence. In the deciphering process such a "reader" could enjoy simultaneously the rarity and craftsmanship of the gold and silver inlay, the witty invention and the organic elegance of the characters, and eventually the Ritual vessel, hu (vessel A, 1:5015)from the tomb of Liu Sheng, early Western Han, first half of the second century B.C., bronze with gold and silver inlay, h. 44.2 cm, diam. 28.5 cm. Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang.
rhyme and content of the text. And for an occasional respite from interacting with the writing, the narrow
C-
C
registers in between the text, with auspicious animals
frolickingabout,would offerentertainingdistraction.3
11
(L
Q
cm
.. ....
1 and la Ritual vessel, hu (vessel A, 1:5015) from the tomb of Liu Sheng, early Western Han, first half of the second century B.C., bronze with gold and silver inlay, h. 44.2 cm, diam. 28.5 cm. Hebei Provincial Museum, Shijiazhuang. Drawing after Institute of Archaeology CASS and Hebei CPAM,ed., Mancheng Han mu fajue baogao (Excavation report of the Han tomb at Mancheng), (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980), 44.
In the idealcase,therefore,readingthis particular text can providemultipletypesof aestheticexperiences-visual, haptic(whileturningthe vessel),and audial(once the writtentext is readaloud)- aside frombeing intellectuallystimulatingand fosteringa senseof extremeprivilege. ThatLiuShenghimselfmayindeedhavebeen able to enjoythe arton thesevesselsis amplysuggested as in the historicalrecord,wherehe is characterized a self-professedloverof the sensuouspleasures.His contemporary Sima Qian JnXM(ca. 145-85 B.C.)
recordedhim as statingthat"atrue kingshouldpass his dayslisteningto musicand delightinghimself with gorgeoussightsand sounds"insteadof doing the workof clerksand officials.4And the Hanshu (Historyof the [Former]Han) describeshis presence in 138B.C. at a receptiongivenby his half-brother,the recently enthroned emperor Wu j*gj(156-87 -j
0
C12 1.)
0
12
B.C.;
duringwhicha musicalperformance movedhim to weep silenttearsand then to explainhis emotionalreactionin a finelyphrasedpoetic speech.5 Althoughultimatelyboth SimaQianand BanGu LiuShengas a morallyabject,irresponcharacterized siblearistocratwho indulgedin the superficialityof sensualpleasures,thereis no need todayto judgeLiu Sheng'saestheticsensibilitybasedon the moralframer.141-87 B.C.),
workand politicalstruggleof theseearlyhistorians. Nowadayswe calla personlike LiuShengcultivated, a connoisseurand aesthete,regardlessof his political accomplishmentsor failures. If we creditLiuShengwith the abilityto appreciate the two vesselsas sophisticatedaestheticconstructs, we shouldaskhow preciselythe art inherentin their designmighthavefunctioned.So far,the vesselshave inspiredtwo ratherindependentlyoperatingstrands of scholarship.Art-historicalresearchhas limited while itselfto briefentriesin exhibitioncatalogues,6 more substantialepigraphicresearchhas concentrated The followingcase on decipheringthe inscriptions.7 studydrawson both areasof scholarshipin orderto discussthe purposeand originof thesevesselsas well as the originalrole and appreciationof the unusual writingthat decoratesthem.8The writingheredoes but is an integral not functionpurelyas calligraphy, partof the object.Verbalsignsaresimultaneously ornamentalsigns;calligraphyis writtentext and decorativetexturealike.Thesevesselscan thereforealso be seen as particularlyrelevantto the largerdiscourse on how to understandornamentin earlyChina,how to tap the communicativepotentialof ornament,and how to defineits purposein a specificaristocratic context.Becausethe main ornamenthereis writing,
lid of vessel A (1:5015)has long, cloudlike legs and appears to have twelve charactersinscribed radially, while the lid of vessel B (1:5oi8) has ring feet and only three characterswritten concentrically (see fig. 3). The characterson the two lids also differ stylistically. Those on lid A are thin and spindly, inlaid mainly in gold, and embellished with clearly recognizable fish and bird images. Those on lid B are written in double lines, one inlaid with gold, the other with silver,in the same style as the characterson the vessel bodies. There are no images of entire animals either on this lid or on
2 Drawing of ritual vessel hu (vessel B, 1:5018) from the tomb of Liu Sheng, early Western Han, first half of the second century B.C., bronze with gold and silver inlay, h. 40 cm, diam. 28 cm. After Institute of Archaeology CASS and Hebei CPAM,ed., Mancheng Han mu fajue baogao (Excavation report of the Han tomb at Mancheng), (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980), 47, cf. color pl. 6.
its primary symbolism is verbalized and can literally be read. Pictorial ornament, in contrast, relates symbolic meaning through a set of visual codes, which are rarelyverbalized and which are understood in different ways, depending on the cultural and social framework of cognition. As historians we mainly decode pictorial symbolism by means of iconography- a method which relies on textual sources that are in most cases physically disconnected from images. Because iconographically significant textual sources from the second century B.C. and earlier are extremely rare, the symbolic content and most further interpretation of early Chinese imagery remain largely obscure. The Mancheng vessels, however, not only provide us with a verbally encoded form of ornament; they also offer an exceptionally rich archaeological and biographical context. Hence they promise unusually rich insights into the motivation for and the
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reception of early Han ornament.
DECODING THE TEXT
The inscribed text is almost identical on the bodies of both vessels, but it differs entirely on the lids. The
3 Drawing of the inscriptions on the lids of vessels A and B. After Zhang Zhenlin, "Zhongshan Jing Wang niaozhuan hu ming zhi yundu" (Rhyme and pronunciation of the birdscript inscription on the vessels of Prince Jing of Zhongshan), Gu wenzi yanjiu 11(1979).
.1
the vesselbodies,only embellishinghooks and scrolls thatoccasionallyalludeto a bird'sheadbut otherwise arenonrepresentational. Whilethe differences betweenthe lids cannotbe satisfactorilyexplained, they suggestnot only that differentpeoplemayhave designedlid A and lid B,but alsothatlid A mayoriginallyhavebelongedto a now-lostvesselwith matching design,and thattheremayonce havebeen several morevesselsof this kind.9 Thissectionwill firstexaminethe inscriptionson the two lids and then those on the vesselbodies.There is only limitedagreementon the transcriptionand translationof theseornamentalinscriptions,andthe readingof the characterson the lids is especiallycontroversial.Amongthe eightstudiesI consulted,four suggestdifferenttranscriptionsof the text on lid A, and six differenttranslations:
"Thisinvertablelid was madewith inlaidwritingin three-wordphrasesand adornedwith goldenfish."'0 (2) j&r,$,T n tZ "Therearethree-character phrases,decoratedwith gold fish,for the splendidlid, inlaidas writing.""Or: "Therearethreeverses,arrangedgoldenfish,to make a grandcontainerfor GoldenRootMedicinalWine with inlaidwriting."'2 (3) i ,ME , VWm^ 03 "Tomakeajin-typelid, writingwas inlaid,thereare threewords.Fordrinking,[the emperor]bestowed gold.))13
-
E , IXEI4 , -_4_4 "Fishwerearrangedfor this preciouslid.Writingwas inlaid.Therearethreesentences."'14 (4)A 4fii ,
CD
Cl
m
14)
Althoughthereareplentyof scholarlydifferences on how to transcribeand translateseveralof the characterson this lid, all interpretersrecognizethe inscription as beingself-referential and describingessentially whatone alreadyknowsby the time the text is deciphered- namely,thatthe lid is inlaidwith golden writingwhichis decoratedwith littlefish imagesand thatthe inscriptionshouldbe understoodas threewordphrases.Amongthe moreunusualinterpreta-
tions is thatof Zhou Esheng(proposition4), who alonereconstructsan eleven-character inscription.All otherauthorsarguefor twelvecharacters,understanding the passage 5 as describing"three-word phrases"and assumingthateachof the threesegments betweenthe legs of the lid shouldcontainfourcharactersto preservesymmetry.'5 Anotheroriginal,albeit far-fetchedinterpretationis providedby Zhou Cecong (proposition2), who understandsthe crypticexpressionjin gai WE as a referenceto the intendedcontent of the entirevessel,explainingthatjin indicatesskullcap (scutellariabaicalensisGeorgi),a medicinalplant whose aromaticroot is usedto treatinflammatoryrelateddisorders,and thatgai shouldbe understood as referringnot to the lid but to the entirevessel. In his readingof lid B, Zhou Cecongexpandshis theorythatthe vesselswerecommissionedby Liu Shengto hold medicinalwine, andhe proposesthat vesselB was supposedto contain"lizardwine."Butthe ideaof a contentlabelon a lid is not convincing,especiallywhenthe wordsarebarelyreadable.Content labelsareusefulon a containerbut not on a lid. Of the threecharacterson lid B, onlygai A, whichis generallyunderstoodas meaning"lid,"canbe readwithout problems;on the readingof the othertwo characters, opinionsarewidelydivided.Butagain,thereis a consensusthatthe wordinghasto be takenas a laudatory descriptionof the lid or the vesselitself,andthatthe modifyingwordbeforegai X specifiesthe kindof lid. The proposedtranscriptionsfor the wordson lid B areas follows: (1) K [I:A (2)
RX
decorated... lid.:"l6 "Beautifillly "Beautifully decoratedlid fora guanjar. "Lidmodeledforgreatprofit."''8
(3)V_>IfJ decorated lizard[wine]vessel."'9 (4) UWEiX "Finely As for the vesselbodies,epigraphistsarenow in agreementon the transliteration of allbut two or threegraphs;the veryfirstand still influentialreading by Xiao Yun of 1972has been corrected and should
be consideredoutdated.20 Bothvesselscarrythe same poetic text,whichconsistsof eighttetrasyllabic verses thatform fourstanzas(see fig.4). Everysecondverse
5'iI~~L
4-)
15 z
4 Drawing and transcription of the inscription on vessel A. Read from right to left (drawings after Institute of Archaeology CASS and Hebei CPAM,ed., Mancheng Han mu fajue baogao (Excavation report of the Han tomb at Mancheng), (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980), 7-10.
rhymes. Vessel B is missing the last verse (i.e., the last four characters), perhaps because it is 1.5centimeters smaller in circumference. To cover the vessel surface neatly, the charactersin the lowest register on vessel B are stretched into a much wider, looser, and more abbreviated style than those on vessel A (fig. 5). Below is the transcription and translation I would suggest. Vessel A
VEt "Encircledby four invocations,21 $it,lQ;