Zhu Zhanji’s Quail Fight Axis

[Axis of Zhu Zhanji’s Quail Fight]

Axis of Zhu Zhanji’s Quail Fight, Ming, silk, colored, 67 cm vertical and 71 cm horizontal
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The picture shows Zhu Zhanji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty, watching quail fighting in the Imperial Garden. Zhu Zhanji sits upright in the middle of the picture, surrounded by eunuchs, attendants and child servants. There is a round fence on the square table. Two eunuchs are fighting for the quail in the circle. The attendant next to them is holding the cage, which is the spare quail. Folk games such as “cricket fighting” and “chicken fighting” are more common. This picture gives posterity a new look at the “quail fighting” scene in the Ming Dynasty. In fact, Zhu Zhanji’s favorite hobby is cricket fighting, and his enthusiasm has even earned him the title of “Zizhi (cricket’s nickname) Son of Heaven”
This picture is a realistic description of the life of the imperial court of the Ming Dynasty. There are not many documentary paintings of the Ming court. The protagonist is Xuanzong Zhu Zhanji, and the “Joy Map” which shows his travel and hunting, and the “Joy Map in the Palace” which shows the cultural and sports activities of the court.