National Palace Museum

3F｜Gallery 302｜A Gathering of Treasures in the National Palace Museum North and South

This piece is almost completely identical to a piece of bokchoy cabbage. Carved from verdant jadeite, the familiar subject, purity of the white vegetable body, and brilliant green of the leaves all create for an endearing and approachable work of art. Let's also not forget the two insects that have alighted on the vegetable leaves! They are a locust and katydid, which are traditional metaphors for having numerous children. This work originally was placed in the Forbidden City's Yung-ho Palace, which was the residence of the Guangxu Emperor's (r. 1875-1908) Consort Jin. For this reason, some have surmised that this piece was a dowry gift for Consort Jin to symbolize her purity and offer blessings for bearing many children. Although it is said that the association between the material of jadeite and the form of bokchoy began to become popular in the middle and late Qing dynasty, the theme relating bokchoy and insects actually can be traced back to the professional insect-and-plant paintings of the Yuan to early Ming dynasty (13th-15th c.), when they were quite common and a popular subject among the people for its auspiciousness. In the tradition of literati painting, it has also been borrowed as a subject in painting to express a similar sentiment, indirectly chastising fatuous officials. For example, in a poem written in 1775, the Qianlong Emperor associated the form of a flower holder in the shape of a vegetable with the tradition of metaphorical criticism found in the Tang dynasty poetry of Du Fu, in which an official was unable to recognize a fine vegetable in a garden. The emperor thereupon took this as a warning to be careful and alert. Regardless of whether it is a court craftsman or the maker of this jadeite bokchoy cabbage, all are merely giving play to their imagination and creativity, following the taste and directions of their patrons. Despite not having more historical records to probe these ideas, it nonetheless provides the viewer with greater room for imagination.

3F｜Gallery 302｜A Gathering of Treasures in the National Palace Museum North and South

Of the beautiful mineral materials that resemble jade, the quartz minerals, agate and jasper, are often used to make ingenious carvings, due to their unique and diverse patterns and colors. This "Meat-shaped stone" was carved from jasper minerals, and its natural layered patterns were utilized by the artist to good effect. Fine holes were drilled on the surface to resemble pores, and also to loosen up the material and facilitate dyeing. The top layer was then dyed brownish-red, to mimic the color of pork skin marinated in soy sauce.

3F｜Gallery 302｜A Gathering of Treasures in the National Palace Museum North and South

* No exhibited temporarily.

The "Yuxiong Zun" of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty was dated to the 25th year of Qianlong, imitating the "Tang Feixiong Table Seat" recorded in "Ancient Mirror of the Western Qing Dynasty". It was originally a copper bear, with its hair outlined in gold and silver threads. The forehead, eyes and many other places are inlaid with precious stones. The lines are simple and the decoration is gorgeous. It should be the foot of a relic of the Han Dynasty. As for the new jade bear, it is imitated step by step in terms of size and shape, and the shape is thick and the texture is warm, which shows the quality and requirements of antique jade wares in the Qianlong period.

3F｜Gallery 302｜A Gathering of Treasures in the National Palace Museum North and South

* No exhibited temporarily.

Using natural black and white jade, long lines are used to carve out the round and strong body of the white jade man; short lines are used to engrave the black jade bear's furry body. The craftsman carved out the moment of wrestling between the man and the bear with wisdom and ingenuity. At that moment, it was not a tense hand-to-hand fight, but the jade man and the bear both laughed and danced lightly holding hands. This jade carving, along with other small curios, was stored in a hundred assorted pieces, which shows that most of the hundreds of assorted items were exquisite and interesting objects.

3F｜Gallery 306｜Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth: Masterpieces of Jades in the Museum Collection

The "pi-hsieh" is a mythological creature commonly thought to be able to ward off evil forces with its magical powers. In fact, its name means "to ward off evil" in Chinese. In the Han dynasty, "pi-hsieh" were commonly represented as winged, four-legged beasts, a form that was probably transmitted from Western Asia. Often found as huge stone statues, they would be placed along the spirit road leading up to tombs. Some were also carved from quality jade and used as ornaments for the wealthy and powerful. This example, originally carved from a piece of green jade, is represented with its head raised and jaws open as if the creature is emitting a low growl. Its stance alludes to the fact that it is walking forwards, and although the wings are pressed to its back, they give the impression that they will unfold and beat at any minute. The long beard of this spectacular creature sprouts from its lower jaw and extends all the way down to its chest, its tail brushes the ground behind it. Over the years, the color of the jade has changed to a mottled yellowish brown. This is one of the larger examples of Han dynasty jade "pi-hsieh" known. It is different from other jade carved "pi-hsieh" in that its snout is relatively long, resembling that of a horse, where others appear more like that of a tiger. Furthermore, it bears an uncanny resemblance to objects that scholars refer to as "dragon heads", adornments on bronze furnaces recently unearthed in Inner Mongolia and dating to the middle and late Han periods. This example in the collection of the National Palace Museum was once an important part of the imperial collection, and one of the emperor's poems is carved onto the chest. The Museum also has a two-tiered rosewood stand that accompanies this piece, the upper tier of which is carved with the words "Imperial curio for the Qianlong Emperor", and the lower tier carved with the same imperial poem found on the creature's chest. These carved characters are also inlaid with silver.

3F｜Gallery 306｜Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth: Masterpieces of Jades in the Museum Collection

This jade duck was sculpted using a yellow nephrite and its head, belly, and feet are dark brown in color.
The jade duck features remarkably simple sculpting techniques. However, its physical features (i.e., lifted tail and rounded bottom) were accurately portrayed to evoke a sense of adorability and liveliness.

3F｜Gallery 305｜Rituals Cast in Brilliance: Masterpieces of Bronzes in the Museum Collection

The well of this pan plate is adorned with a coiled dragon, with head slightly raised and positioned at the exact center of the plate. The edges of the plate are ringed with kui dragon patterns, bird patterns, and fish patterns. The decorative patterns on the exterior walls of the plate are covered by a layer of rust, but appear to be kui dragon patterns with bowed heads. The solemn and elegant designs are characteristic of the late Shang period. Traces of the casting process can be found on the inner side of the ring foot, where six strengthening supports reinforce the attachment of the ring foot to the bottom of the vessel; in addition, three square notches can be seen on the ring foot, aligned with the mold lines. Pan plates were important water vessels during the bronze age, and from the rich and elaborate dragon patterns adorning the well of this plate, it can be inferred that this was likely a ceremonial vessel owned by a high-ranking member of the nobility.

3F｜Gallery 305｜Rituals Cast in Brilliance: Masterpieces of Bronzes in the Museum Collection

The body is wide, with a stream on one side for pouring water, and a handle on the other side for easy handling. The lower edge of the mouth is decorated with crooked patterns composed of deformed animal patterns, and the abdomen is decorated with tile patterns. The four-legged figure stands in the shape of a standing human, with the top of the head connected to the bottom of the ventral side of the vessel. Looking at its attire, it looks like a servant of a foreign race. There are two giant beasts, with their front feet resting on the rim of the mouth, entering the pot to drink water, and the four-legged clinging to the body is vivid and natural. The open spout has beautiful curves and is extremely elegant. It is a bronze water vessel full of ingenuity and imagery.

3F｜Gallery 305｜Rituals Cast in Brilliance: Masterpieces of Bronzes in the Museum Collection

This vessel takes the form of a sturdily standing four-legged hoofed animal, with raised ears, round eyes, four hoofed legs, and a dangling tail. The posture and musculature of the animal is realistically depicted. The work served as a wine vessel of the Warring States period, with the mouth of the animal serving as the spout, and an opening on the back with a removable lid that enabled wine to be replenished. The surface of the vessel is blackish-brown in color, interspersed with green. The vessel is adorned with silver threads that form angled cloud patterns, and is richly decorated with turquoise and gold and silver inlays. The face of the animal shows inlaid round gold eyes, and the bridge of the nose, the eyebrows, and the forehead are studded with turquoise. A circlet of inlaid gold encircles the neck, representing a collar. The lid on the back of the animal is decorated with dragon-shaped gold and silver inlays.

3F｜Gallery 307｜Rituals Cast in Brilliance: Masterpieces of Bronzes in the Museum Collection

This work is composed of three lamps, the tallest one stands on the tallest lamppost in the center, the bottom of the lamp is decorated with lotus petals, a cicada and a monkey are attached to the lamppost below, and there are curly branches stretching left and right under the monkey There is a lamp on each branch, and a monkey on each of the lower curly branches. The base of the lamp post is round and decorated with openwork chinchilla patterns. The small animals on the lamp post and among the curly branches are not only Lifelike, the cicadas and monkeys on the lamp post in the middle can also be rotated or raised and lowered, and the left and right lamps can be disassembled from the lamp post. They are assembled by inserting them into the hosel in the middle of the lamp post.

* No exhibited temporarily.

Enamelware of the Yongzheng reign followed that of the Kangxi reign and raised to greater heights, characterized mainly by its panels in a full composition, traditional bird-and-flower painting as subject matter, colorful background, and inscriptions in panels of auspicious shapes. The body of this piece is semi-translucent white glass, its shape like that of a bamboo segment. The greenish yellow base is rendered with green bamboo and a spider, much in the elegant manner of a literati painting. The three knots of the bamboo segment here have even been colored with dots to give it an exceptionally realistic feel. The bottle includes a colorful enamelware bronze spoon handle with two butterflies along with an ivory spoon. The butterflies stand out against the dark background and give the piece even more opulence and liveliness, the golden rim further accentuating it. At the bottom is a panel against the background in an auspicious form for the inscription--spirit fungi. The inscription in red regular script against a white background reads "Made in the Yongzheng reign." This snuff bottle testifies to the features of Yongzheng wares mentioned above and therefore is quite important and precious. In 1733, archives from the Imperial Bureau of Manufacture mention the production in the glassware workshop of a "bamboo bottle with painted enamelware on white glass," which may in fact be the work seen here.

* No exhibited temporarily.

Even in something as small as a snuff bottle can be seen a decorative style combining East and West. For example, the panel in the center of this object represents plum blossoms painted in gold lacquer, representing the Japanese style of maki-e that was popular in European markets. The plum blossoms and butterflies on the ground outside of the panel, however, are done in traditional Chinese decorative manners, symbolizing the integrity and longevity of the literati.

2F｜Gallery 201｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

Pottery was an important artifact in ancient civilization. It is said that sage rulers of China's high antiquity emphasized the making of pottery as an important skill for the people's livelihood. Archaeologically speaking, pottery production appeared in various places in Neolithic times, such as the white pottery of the Danwenkou Culture fired with clay having a high percentage of aluminum oxide. People at the time believed that the bird was the origin of their ancestors, so potters fashioned vessels similar to an abstracted bird form with its neck stretching out and crying to the heavens, also serving as a vessel for fine wine.

2F｜Gallery 201｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

This is a statue of a woman riding a horse. The woman with buns towering over the top is wearing a yellow-green tunic with lapel collar and narrow sleeves, trousers, and short boots. She is riding on a yellow horse with colorful saddle. The woman turned sideways, her head leaned forward slightly, her left hand was close to the horse's head like a rein, and her right hand was bent up as if holding a stick and hitting the ball. The whole work is made of grey-yellow pottery, covered with white pottery, covered with low-temperature three-color glaze, yellow, green, white, and brown, and the colors are dripping and bright; the facial features and expressions of the characters are depicted in color. The people of the Tang Dynasty advocated thick burials. At that time, the nobles and high-ranking officials "competed for rich burials. The figures were like horses, and they were carved and decorated as if they were alive, just to show off to passers-by." The three-color lead glaze is bright in color, and it is most suitable for funeral processions to show off and parade through the streets. It has become a fashion. Therefore, a large number of three-color figurines are often found in the tombs of the Tang Dynasty. Women in the Tang Dynasty regarded health as the most beautiful thing, so they liked to wear Hu shirts with soft boots with lapels and narrow sleeves, and they were lightly dressed to engage in various horse activities. Persian polo was very popular among the upper class in the Tang Dynasty. The situation of the two teams racing horses and competing for the ball can be seen in the tomb murals or Tang mirror patterns in the Tang Dynasty, and various painted pottery or three-color polo figurines are often unearthed from the tombs.。

2F｜Gallery 201｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

During the Tang dynasty, particular emphasis was placed on elaborate funerary ritual which often included large quantities of grave goods. These were intended both to provide for the dead in the afterlife and to glorify the wealth of the deceased’s family. As a result, Tang burial frequently included large numbers of earthenware tomb figurines. This female figure is one example.

The young woman has a plump figure; long, attenuated brows and lashes; a small peach-shaped mouth; round face; and a composed expression. These features were precisely the ideal qualities of Tang feminine beauty. The woman wears a long, broad robe, with her right hand held up before her chest and her left hand extended slightly down. Pointy-tipped shoes protrude from beneath the hem of her robe. Her casual and relaxed manner reveals a sense of stately, self-assured ease. Her tall, elaborate hairdo, with descending strands that encircle her cheeks, is a hairstyle that was particularly popular in the late Tang. The figure displays the realistic style of Tang art, embodying for us the natural appearance of Tang noblewomen.

2F｜Gallery 205｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

During the Tang dynasty, most ceramics pillows either had a three-color glaze, or were glazed brown, black, or a changsha bronze color. At the time, there were only two types of these pillows, one for sleeping  and the other for taking a pulse. By the Song dynasty, there was a greater variety of designs, including one made especially to be buried with the deceased. The variations included those of different sizes, styles, and decorations, the last of which usually implied auspicious meaning. This example, in the form of a child playing, was for general use. The design is both life-like and alluring, with the child, clearly in excellent health, wearing a suit of clothing including a long brocaded top, lying on a mattress, legs crossed behind. The National Palace Museum in Peking has a very similar example, but it lacks the detail in the child's clothing in comparison to this artifact. The front and back of the pillow were made separately, mold-pressed and then put together before firing. After they had been put together, the facial expression and details on the clothing were carved. The base is flat, with a round hole cut into the left and right sides to allow air to escape during the firing process, preventing the piece from exploding in the kiln. The glaze is ivory white with a hint of gray. As Ting ware was fired using charcoal as fuel, it had to be fired in an oxidized atmosphere, giving the white glaze this yellowish hue. The glaze has run on several parts of the base, an effect described by literati as "tear marks." The bottom of the pillow has been inscribed with a poem written by the Qianlong Emperor in the spring of 1773.

2F｜Gallery 205｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

This bowl was molded. The even curves on its wall follow the foliated contour of the mouthrim. The entire vessel is coated in consistent and smooth celadon glaze, displaying a bluish green color. Both its interior and exterior walls are covered with crackles stained brown. With a high, splayed ring foot, this piece has five spur marks along the edge of its base. Similar specimens have been excavated from the kiln site in Qingliang Temple, Baofeng County, Henan Province. There existed two ways of firing for this type of vessel: fired on spurs for fully glazed vessels or on setters. In the Song dynasty, warming bowls and ewers were paired wine vessels for daily use. Their usage can be seen in mural paintings from the tombs of the Liao dynasty and in the painting, Literary Gathering (attributed to Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty, National Palace Museum). Apart from Ru ware, lotus-shaped warming bowls were also produced at kilns across northern and southern China and similarly-shaped vessels have appeared among Korean Goryeo celadon wares as well. In light of silverware discovered in Southern Song hoards, it can be surmised that the emergence and prevalence of ceramic ewers and lotus-shaped bowls reflect the contemporary trend of emulating gold and silver wares.

2F｜Gallery 205｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

Rolled mouth, short straight neck, sloping shoulders, round belly, flat bottom, shallow scooped feet, curved handle, short flow, with cover. The body of the pot is lightly carved with four layers of lotus petals and one layer of spout. The outer wall and cover are all covered with red glaze, while the inner wall and soles are covered with white glaze. The fetal bone is uniform and thick, the glaze color is bright red, the white glaze is bluish, and the white tendons are exposed at the mouth, feet, orifice and convex edges. The ring foot is exposed, white and delicate, and the glaze line is light orange with iron spots. On the bottom of the vessel, the book "Daming Xuande Annual System" written in a double circle of blue and white, has two lines and six characters in regular script.

2F｜Gallery 205｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

Rolled mouth, short straight neck, sloping shoulders, round belly, flat bottom, shallow scooped feet, curved handle, short flow, with cover. The body of the pot is lightly carved with four layers of lotus petals and one layer of spout. This vessel is glazed with celadon. The cyan color is rich and colorful, dark green with purple, the white glaze is bluish, and the mouth and convex edges of the vessel are all exposed with white edges. The exposed bead foot is delicate and white, and the glaze between the tires is light yellow with small spots. The two-line six-character script of the blue-and-white book "Daming Xuande Annual System" inside the double blue line on the bottom of the vessel. The Xuande Sacrifice Red and Jiqing Halogen Pots are extremely rare and were collected by the Qing Palace and were highly appreciated by Qianlong. The "Hongliguan Painting Picture" painted by Lang Shining was placed on a table with other treasures and placed in front of Qianlong's elbow. You can see this A pair of green and red small pots are valued.

2F｜Gallery 205｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

Late Ming collectors prized blue and white porcelain from the Xuande reign above all other ceramics, followed by wucai porcelain from the official kilns of the Chenghua reign. In the eyes of collectors at the time, wucai refers to this type of doucai porcelain. Of the Chenghua doucai works in the collections of the National Palace Museum, the decorative patterns on the cups are the most varied, including cups with grape patterns, cups with babies playing together, cups depicting great scholars, tall-footed cups with flower and bird patterns, and of course, the renowned chicken cups. In his work, "Rongcha lishuo," the late Ming to early Qing scholar Cheng Zhe stated that doucai chicken cups were highly regarded, and a pair of these had already reached a price of one hundred thousand cash during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Ming. This small cup has a wide mouth, short walls, and a flat base with a short ring foot. The exterior walls are painted with two scenes of a rooster and hen accompanying their three chicks. The two scenes are divided by painted China roses and orchids. Around the mouth and base, three blue lines have respectively been painted. The inner surface is pure white and unadorned. On the underside of the base, six characters in blue and white glaze stating, "Da Ming Cheng Hua Nian Zhi (Made in the Chenghua Reign of the Great Ming Empire)," have been inscribed in standard script. Previously from the Chenghua official kiln archaeological site at Chushan in Jingdezhen, a half-completed blue and white chicken cup with only the cobalt glaze applied was excavated, and a comparison of this with existing works suggests that doucai porcelain was made by first painting the outlines with cobalt glaze, and then using glazes of other colors to fill in the outlines, after which the works were fired in the kilns. From the Imperial Workshop Archives of the Qing Court, the provenance of this doucai chicken cup can be traced to the Yongzheng reign at least, and the accompanying box with silk embroidery was made at the behest of the Qianlong Emperor.

2F｜Gallery 205｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

This object takes the form of an elephant with a vase on its back. The elephant stands straight with its head turned back and eyes partially closed. Its trunk is curled upward with tusks on either side. On its back is a saddle in the shape of a Chinese-style bullion, on which is a vase. A brocaded silk is draped on either side and decorated with "ruyi," chime, bat, wave, and jewel-and-pearl motifs. The elephant's skin is represented using grayish-brown glaze with dark areas to indicate hair. The vase is covered with lake-green glaze and painted with red and green winding lotuses also featuring outlines of gold. The piece has no reign mark, but the shape and decoration suggest the period of production as the Qianlong reign (1736-1795). The decoration of the saddle brocade symbolizes the mountains of longevity in seas of prosperity, chimes of auspiciousness for plenty, and times of peace. All are homonyms in Chinese for "phenomena of peace." In addition to porcelain examples, such as this, there are also cloisonne ones as well.

2F｜Gallery 205｜The Magic of Kneaded Clay: Ceramic Collection of the National Palace Museum

This reticulated vase has an inverted mouth, inward sloping sides, a long neck, broad shoulders, tapered belly, and short ring foot. The shoulders of the vessel are decorated with four ring-shaped loops. The belly of the vase is divided into inner and outer layers. The inner layer is coated with light lake-green glaze to create a background akin to the waters of a lake, within which aquatic plants, fallen blossoms, and goldfish are painted in fencai. The underside of the outer base is coated in lake-green glaze, and an inscription in blue and white glaze with seal script characters reads, "Da Qing Qian Long Nian Zhi (Made in the Qianlong Reign of the Great Qing Empire)." Viewers can grasp the neck of the vase and turn the inner layer, and through four openwork panels on the belly of the outer layer, painted scenes of fish swimming among aquatic plants on the surface of the inner layer can be seen to dance before the eyes. The effect is similar to the trotting horse lamp, and thus vessels such as this one are known as "revolving vases."

1F｜Gallery 106｜A Garland of Treasures: Masterpieces of Precious Crafts in the Museum Collection

Bronze body, plate with 16-petal phoenix patterns on yellow ground. The folding edge is painted with blue-colored curly grass patterns on a white ground, and the inner and outer low walls are painted with blue-ground multi-color grass-leaf patterns and yellow-ground multi-color plate glass patterns. The heart of the plate is centered on a red flower, emitting rhythmic wavy petals. Inside each petal is painted a total of four pairs of phoenixes that are about to fly, dancing in the direction of the clock; the center of the plate and the petals are carved into bas-reliefs , more three-dimensional. The bottom of the plate echoes the surface of the plate. Eight tumbling leaves are painted on the white ground. The leaf shape and veins are outlined in dark colors, and then rendered with yellow and blue glaze. The bottom center has a white ground "Kangxi Imperial System" double round frame double line deep red regular script . One of the characteristics of Kangxi Dynasty paintings in the mature period of enamel works is that they prefer to use yellow as the base, which is rare outside the region. The shape and decoration design of this vessel are novel, the painting color scale is rich and clear, and the glaze is fired evenly and cleanly. It is an exquisite display vessel.

1F｜Gallery 106｜A Garland of Treasures: Masterpieces of Precious Crafts in the Museum Collection

* No exhibited temporarily.

Take a close look at this planter: you won’t find an actual plant inside, but instead, you’ll see a special kind of sculpture. This was in fact an auspicious planter display that was very popular in the Qing dynasty court. Here, the figure is the Planetary Deity Kuei-xing delicately carved from a piece of red coral and holding a representation of the Big Dipper. Legend has it that the Kuei-xing was a highly educated scholar, but his ugly appearance always prevented him from passing the civil service examinations. In a fit of anger and resentment, he threw himself into the waters but was saved by a fish dragon. Thereafter, he was transformed into the celestial head of the Big Dipper and was put in charge of determining the outcome of examinations, and career advancement. He thus became one of the commonly worshipped deities.

The figure seen here is completely in vermilion red, with budding horns, bushy eyebrows, protruding eyes, and fangs, for a fierce and animated look. The deity is accompanied by accessories such as fluttering sashes, and holds a representation of the Big Dipper and a branch of plum blossoms. He is standing on the head of a fish dragon with a dragon’s head and fish’s body carved from green jadeite, and soaring among surging waves. The two objects held by the deity serve as symbols for coming in first place in the civil service examinations. One of his legs is also kicking back towards the main star of the Big Dipper. Known as the “dipper kick,” it is a metaphor for being the best among those on the list of successful examination candidates.

The Deity Kuei-xing not only represents prospect of success in the civil service examinations but is also surrounded here by various auspicious symbols. The sides of the jade planter, for example, are adorned with images of multi-colored bats surrounding a longevity character, symbolizing prosperity and long life as well as good fortune at one’s doorstep. The fungus on the garden rock in the planter is an auspicious imagery of immortality, while the branch of plum blossoms in the deity’s hand also serves as a harbinger of spring, blooming before all the others. This sculpture features lively carving and skillful inlay techniques combining gold, silver with semi-precious gems and convey auspicious connotations, all that makes this piece of display exquisitely beautiful.