MIA: Chinese, South and Southeast Asian Art (Bot)

dark wood rectangular stand with open sides topped with grey and white marble

Rectangular stand https://collections.artsmia.org/art/8227/

Apron

Apron https://collections.artsmia.org/art/26694/

Temple Basket, fiber, stitching, beadwork, fabric covers base, commercial buttons are stitched to fibers and fabric

Temple Basket https://collections.artsmia.org/art/25543/

fan mounted as an album leaf; two fishermen at sea during a storm; rocks and bending trees in foreground LRC, fishermen at lower left, bamboo behind boat with a mountain range in the distance Many leading artists, both calligraphers and painters produced fan paintings. Literati were often at their best in small format paintings where the subtleties of brushwork could be readily appreciated and discerned. Folding fans were often produced as gift paintings; some were mounted directly as albums while others were removed from their bamboo stays, backed with paper and compiled into albums. These selections are from such an album produced by twelve different artists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Stormy Landscape with Fishermen at Sea https://collections.artsmia.org/art/30973/

two-panel silk wrap skirt; plain tan cotton waistband; left sections of each panel heavily embroidered, centering on a depiction of a figure in garden scene framed by ribbon and applique; right sections have bright blue ribbons fanning down tan brocade and ending in loosely attached points with tassels; black and blue lower border; lined in blue silk

Skirt https://collections.artsmia.org/art/94345/

Square, batik, cotton. Birds and grotesque figures on light tan ground. Wide border of brown fruit and leaves on blue ground. At the request of Mr. Plimpton this printed fabric was washed in Ivory Snow on February 2, 1950 by Mr. Soulen and Jim Cooper.

Batik Square https://collections.artsmia.org/art/15161/

tall, slightly bulbous body; long slender neck flaring out to wide, flat lip; white glaze Fine white wares of Sui (586-618) and early Tang (7th century) are arguably the world's earliest porcelains. Hard, white, and translucent, they were produced at the Xing kilns in Hebei province and the Gongxian kilns in Henan. Their white gaolin clay was exceptionally pure and well-refined with feldspar for hardness. The shape of this bottle is one of the most elegant in all Far Eastern ceramics. Beautifully proportioned, simple, and flawlessly executed, it was probably reserved for Buddhist ritual as a container for holy water. Popular domestically, large quantities of Gongxian and Xing wares have been found in the Middle Eastern sites of Siraf in the Persian Gulf and Samarda in Iraq.

Bottle https://collections.artsmia.org/art/13682/

Imperial 12-symbol robe of Kangxi blue kesiwith nine 5-clawed dragons in gold, those in profile grasping the Heavenly Jewel. Scattered through ground are loose cloud forms, bats, the double peach, swastika, and sprays of flowers. On this robe the twelve symbols, with exception of the sun, moon, constellation, and mountains, appear ont he border, which is formed of a rather narrow area of slanting wavy stripes with rolly waves, clouds, and Buddhist and Daoist symbols. A similar border in miniature at elbows where sleeves continue with a wide band of wave and earthe designs embroidered on poor quality blue sild, and end in an embroidered cuff edged all around with band of modern gold and black brocade. Collar and front band of dark blue kesi edged with same gold and black brocade. The disposition of the twelve ancient symbols is thought to indicate an early practice. On front border appear the phoenix, dragons, and the cups; dragons, phoenix, and cups with some painting. On back border are the fire, water, weed, millet, the axe. Coat slit at sides and lined with thin blue silk. Kesi worn and patched. Color appears faded in spots, but may be soiled.

Manchu Woman's Semiformal Twelve-Symbol Court Robe https://collections.artsmia.org/art/16775/

Temple hanging, framed, of satin applique on satin. The design represents Buddha seated on lotus in a field of floral sprays and clouds. The colors, tan, brown, and blue have taken on a prevailing dark rather rusty tone. The Buddha is shown in the gesture of calling the earth to witness.

Temple Hanging https://collections.artsmia.org/art/16854/

Buddhist priest robe of fine quality kesi woven in squares and strips of different color to represent the rags of Buddha in his mendicant days. Yellow is predominant, with pieces of red, black, gold, green, blue, white, brown, and pale blue. Designs include Buddhist symbols, sacred vessels, cursive profile dragons, loose clouds, chilin, elephant, peonies, phoenix, Foo dog, and imperial five-clawed dragon in shades of blue, red, green, pink, puce, black, olive-green, yellow, and mauve. The border contains a running design of large peonies and leaves. Note some of the weaving done with peacock feathers. Lining of burnt orange damask of large cloud pattern.

Buddhist Priest's Robe (kashaya) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/16793/

chartreuse, pleated, seperate panel front and back, embroidered in shades of blue and white. Purple braid trim on panels and hemline.

Skirt https://collections.artsmia.org/art/18755/

three lines of loose calligraphy characters; large red seal, LLC; hanging scroll P'u Hua received a solid Confucian education and became a proficient scholar, poet, painter, and calligrapher. P'u became a close friend of the artist, Wu Ch'ang-shuo in Shanghai and, as member of Wu's circle, became successful at interpreting traditional styles with a new found freedom and personality. Completed late in life, this extraordinary set of four, large calligraphic hanging scrolls is executed in a wild, effusive hsing-shu (running script) trembling with barely controlled vitality. The four early texts are only randomly connected, and were apparently selected by the dedicatee, Mr. Chin-i; one from the I Ching and one from Chuang-tzu, the other two being accounts of emperor T'ai-tsung and empress Wu of the T'ang dynasty (8th century). The verse (concerned with the relativity of things) from the I Ching (1st century BCE) reads: If water is not deeply enough accumulated, then in supporting a boat, it will lack sufficient strength. If you pour a cup of water in a small hole in the ground, then a mustard seed can serve as a boat therein, but if you place a cup in it, it will get stuck in the shallow water as it is too large a boat.

Four Scrolls in Running Script https://collections.artsmia.org/art/98571/

torque with five consecutive hoops; hoops end in curlicues; top curlicue has a sphere in the center; connecting piece is solid with three wire cones decorating it; each hoop has four panels of decoration--left to right: panel 1 has three rats; panel 2 has dog, rooster, and monkey; panel 3 has two goats and a snake; panel 4 has a dragon and two rats

Torque https://collections.artsmia.org/art/105317/

aubergine; very bright multicolored vertical strips woven in geometric patterns; 2 1/2" fringe on one side, 1" on other side

Skirt https://collections.artsmia.org/art/96214/

partially translucent tan jade

Pendant in the Form of a Xi Tiger https://collections.artsmia.org/art/949/

Temple banners, pair, made up of five long strips of various brocades and attached to a flat, shaped plaque of wood covered with gold-colored satin brocade and bordered with a shaped band of brown velvet. The brocades making up each banner strip include pale gold-colored satin with rows of dragon medallions and stylizedclouds in gold and colors; tan and gold; green satin with dragon medaliions and clouds; blue with large medallion diaper; deep gold color with large flowers in green; etc. Lining of faded brick-red raw silk.

Temple Banner https://collections.artsmia.org/art/16855/

round wood box with lid; lip at box bottom; convex circle on box top

Round Seal Box https://collections.artsmia.org/art/8225/

cotton label-196; heavy double weave in orange, black, dark red, white; stripped geometric pattern with 9/10 multicolored tassels and blue glass beads on ends; button and loop approximately 12" from ends

Belt https://collections.artsmia.org/art/98155/

highly ornamented squares with beads, sequins, mirrors, tassels, stitching and simple embroidery; arm openings and gussets in red cotton; orange and multicolor

Wedding dress front https://collections.artsmia.org/art/96206/

black wrapper with red and black striped band at top; larger mid-band of red, black and light stripes; lower band of white beads in various patterns, in between red, black and light striped bands; white beads sewn in various areas overall

Wrapper https://collections.artsmia.org/art/90781/

black body; slits at sides; sleeves and front hem decorated with red, white and blue linear applique; multicolored beads and purple and white embroidery around collar; geometric embroidery at center back and back lower panel with linear applique

Long Coat https://collections.artsmia.org/art/79142/

branch or root resembling a stem of natural lingzhi fungus; large head, raised middle and smaller foot sections connected by two sections of thinner body

Ruyi (scepter) https://collections.artsmia.org/art/103645/

smiling stylized dog, in profile from PL, with flowers and organic scroll below; plain chain with circular links

Pendant on chain https://collections.artsmia.org/art/104098/

two men playing a board game while four others watch; the game is being played outdoors in a rock garden under the pine trees; two distinctive stools and various other decorative objects scattered about scene This painting depicts a group of five scholars enjoying a game of go in an outdoor setting. It was a Confucian tradition that scholars be embodiments of moral, intellectual, and artistic perfection. The ancient board games of go (weiqi), Chinese chess (xiangqi), and double sixes (liubo) symbolized this valued trait of intellectual refinement. Four of the participants are seated on stools. The empty drum stool to the left is probably carved from white marble, a material common in outdoor furniture. The large round stool in the center has five fancy legs and is cushioned for comfort while the scholar seated to the right is on a very low wooden seat possibly indicating his lower status.

Scholars Playing "Go" Under Pine Trees https://collections.artsmia.org/art/5197/

Late Haripunchi Bottle, orange earthenware with white inlay.

Late Haripunchi Jar https://collections.artsmia.org/art/26446/

Mottled ivory-grey jade, traces of red pigment.

Buffalo Pendant https://collections.artsmia.org/art/1062/

Page from an erotic manuscript These two leaves are classic seventeenth-century Malwa school paintings, one of the earliest and historically most important Rajput schools. At Mandu, the capital of Malwa, miniature painting can be traced back to the fifteenth century, when it developed as a variant of the Jain style of western India. By the seventeenth century, however, this purely Malwa style had evolved. Simple geometric compositions predominate, and colors are bold and highly symbolic, while naturalism and volume are negated. Human figures are typically shown against red or green backgrounds, which dramatically flatten the pictorial surface, thereby lessening the sense of space. Ragamala paintings illustrate modes of classical Indian music, usually personifying characteristics of love or heroic behavior. These miniatures might illustrate the Ramkali Ragini ragamala but could also be based on a classic of erotic literature such as the Kamasutra.

Man Massaging Woman https://collections.artsmia.org/art/2611/

Woman's Informal Robe

Woman's Informal Robe https://collections.artsmia.org/art/27914/

weft ikat; border print; navy and red diamond shapes throughout- some divided by solid navy stripes; selvages and finished edges; 4" wide hem facing

Sari https://collections.artsmia.org/art/97729/

jug shaped with flat bottom; inward-flaring shoulder to narrow, short neck and flaring lip; white glaze with lightly incised pattern on body; 2 brown stripes and brown scrolling designs below a brown band with incised curves The short broad shape of this vessel, often described as a truncated bottle (tu lu ping), is also found in celadon wares and brown glaze ceramics of the Song period (960-1280). The various Cizhou kilns of North China evolved an incredible variety of decorative techniques during this era. This bottle displays the brown and white coloration of most Cizhou ware but the combination of an incised pattern overlaid with a white slip which, in turn, is painted with brown floral decor is somewhat unusual. As Cizhou was not a court controlled ware, potters were free to experiment with different designs and techniques.

Beehive-shaped Vase https://collections.artsmia.org/art/213/