Period:Ming dynasty Production date:1551 (dated)
Materials:porcelain
Technique:glazed, underglazed,
Subjects:spirit bridge
Dimensions:Length: 24 centimetres Width: 24 centimetres Depth: 1.20 centimetres
Description:
Square porcelain tile with inscription and underglaze blue decoration. This square tile has a stepped unglazed edge from which the corners have been cut off. It is painted in vivid cobalt blue with an inscription in the upper section and a scene below. The picture shows a man walking on a bridge, holding a long imperial tally in his left hand, wearing heavy civil robes and a tall coronet with a hair pin through it.
IMG
![图片[1]-tile BM-1983-0726.1-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Ming dynasty/Ceramics/mid_00220721_001.jpg)
![图片[2]-tile BM-1983-0726.1-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Ming dynasty/Ceramics/mid_RRC16420_base.jpg)
Comments:Harrison-Hall 2001:The bridge appears to link the world with a spirit realm consisting of buildings with traditional Chinese roofs clouded in mist. These roofs are laid out like those of a palace such as the Forbidden City in Beijing or the Nanjing Palace of the Early Ming emperors Hongwu, Jianwen and Yongle. The central structure is identified as ‘Feng tian men’ [Service to Heaven Gateway]. The ‘Feng tian dian’ 奉 天 殿 [Service to Heaven Hall] was located within the Nanjing Imperial Palace. That was where the Hongwu emperor received congratulatory memorials from both civil and military officials on his ascension to the throne. The Jiajing emperor’s association with the founder of the Ming dynasty is important as the former’s accession to the throne had effectively established a new branch of the imperial family because the previous reigning Zhengde emperor had died without sons. The Jiajing emperor’s refusal to become the adopted son of the Zhengde emperor and his insistance on honouring his own parents led to a great debate about correct observance of rites at the start of his reign.Above the picture of the cloudy roof tops is a long inscription in clear clerical script. The tile design is most probably copied from a woodblock-printed page of an imperial edict. It is a rare example of a porcelain imperial edict for court officials and is furthermore dated 1551. It was made at Jingdezhen, possibly for an official residence or public office of the Fuzhou officials. It provides a moral reminder of how officials should behave with regard to administration and of how misbehaviour will not go unnoticed.Originally the tile may have fitted into a wooden screen as the back is smooth and shows no sign of having been fixed to a wall. It is also common for plaques which fit into wooden frames to have this type of bevelled edge.In setting out the following text the author is presenting it horizontally rather than vertically but otherwise just as it appears on the tile, rather than breaking it into grammatical phrases. Premodern Chinese is presented without punctuation and fits into spaces provided rather than being recorded in complete phrases.
Materials:porcelain
Technique:glazed, underglazed,
Subjects:spirit bridge
Dimensions:Length: 24 centimetres Width: 24 centimetres Depth: 1.20 centimetres
Description:
Square porcelain tile with inscription and underglaze blue decoration. This square tile has a stepped unglazed edge from which the corners have been cut off. It is painted in vivid cobalt blue with an inscription in the upper section and a scene below. The picture shows a man walking on a bridge, holding a long imperial tally in his left hand, wearing heavy civil robes and a tall coronet with a hair pin through it.
IMG
Comments:Harrison-Hall 2001:The bridge appears to link the world with a spirit realm consisting of buildings with traditional Chinese roofs clouded in mist. These roofs are laid out like those of a palace such as the Forbidden City in Beijing or the Nanjing Palace of the Early Ming emperors Hongwu, Jianwen and Yongle. The central structure is identified as ‘Feng tian men’ [Service to Heaven Gateway]. The ‘Feng tian dian’ 奉 天 殿 [Service to Heaven Hall] was located within the Nanjing Imperial Palace. That was where the Hongwu emperor received congratulatory memorials from both civil and military officials on his ascension to the throne. The Jiajing emperor’s association with the founder of the Ming dynasty is important as the former’s accession to the throne had effectively established a new branch of the imperial family because the previous reigning Zhengde emperor had died without sons. The Jiajing emperor’s refusal to become the adopted son of the Zhengde emperor and his insistance on honouring his own parents led to a great debate about correct observance of rites at the start of his reign.Above the picture of the cloudy roof tops is a long inscription in clear clerical script. The tile design is most probably copied from a woodblock-printed page of an imperial edict. It is a rare example of a porcelain imperial edict for court officials and is furthermore dated 1551. It was made at Jingdezhen, possibly for an official residence or public office of the Fuzhou officials. It provides a moral reminder of how officials should behave with regard to administration and of how misbehaviour will not go unnoticed.Originally the tile may have fitted into a wooden screen as the back is smooth and shows no sign of having been fixed to a wall. It is also common for plaques which fit into wooden frames to have this type of bevelled edge.In setting out the following text the author is presenting it horizontally rather than vertically but otherwise just as it appears on the tile, rather than breaking it into grammatical phrases. Premodern Chinese is presented without punctuation and fits into spaces provided rather than being recorded in complete phrases.
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