Kunfeng Huang - Illustrated Guide to 50 Masterpieces of Chinese Paintings

Attributed to Gu Kaizhi (348409)

Ink and color on silk

Height 25.5 cm Width 377.9 cm

The British Museum, London

T hroughout the history of Chinese painting, figure paintings, landscapes, and bird-and-flower paintings did not develop simultaneously. The earliest independent subjects were figure paintings, with landscapes and bird-and-flower paintings first appearing as attachments to figure paintings. Figure paintings mainly served an educational function, being used to fill in the gaps in literary texts in a way that allowed the viewer to intuitively understand and accept various moral and ethical norms. Gu Kaizhis The Admonitions Scroll was produced in this milieu.

There are two copies of The Admonitions Scroll. One is ink and color on silk, and is part of the British Museum Collection, while the other, a baimiao line drawing, is part of the collection at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The academic community generally holds that the scroll held by the British Museum is more refined, while the one at the Palace Museum is more complete.

The Admonitions Scroll was produced in the period of the Emperor Huidi (290307) of Jin dynasty (265420). In 290, Sima Yans (236290, reigned 265290) son Sima Zhong (259307) was crowned and named the Emperor Huidi. He was known to suffer from a mental defect and was incompetent, and the rule of Taikang established by his father was on the verge of collapse. The Queen Jia Nanfeng (257300) was ambitious, leading her to usurp power and disrupt political affairs. Although she was violent in nature, she was very dependent on Prime Minister Zhang Hua (232300) and entrusted him with great responsibility. Zhang was obsessed with feudal moral education, and was also loyal to the Sima family. When he saw the incompetence of Emperor Huidi and the ambition of Jia Nanfeng, he was determined to address the situation. Zhang Hua collected numerous stories of the obedience and good deeds of virtuous women, and he wrote The Admonitions Scroll and had it widely circulated during that time. Admonitions were a popular style in ancient times, used for persuasion and instruction. The reference to a female history in the original title (nshi in Chinese) points to the court ladies in the Qin (221206 BC) and Han (206 BCAD 220) dynasties and their expansive refinement, etiquette, and rules of court. Zhang Hua borrowed from the hands of historical female figures to represent to Jia Nanfeng how she might correct her behavior and character.

Later, Gu Kaizhi used this text as the source material for painting his masterpiece, illuminating the meaning of the text in images, putting a paragraph from the original text beside each image as a warning. Though the painting is of a didactic nature, the successful creation of the images of various courtly women reflects, to a certain degree, scenes from the lives of women in the artists time.

Gu Kaizhi, a native of modern day Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, was born to a scholarly family. Though things did not go smoothly for his political career, he became renowned for his paintings. He also developed a very creative painting theory, which he recorded in numerous writings, including his three most important works On Painting (Lun Hua), Painting Yuntaishan (Hua Yuntaishan Ji), and In Praise of Prestigious Scholars Paintings in the Wei and Jin Dynasties (Wei Jin Shengliu Huazan). These three essays are the earliest extant texts on painting theories, and from them, we can gain insight into Gus experience with painting, approaches to creation and composition, and principles and techniques of painting.

Fig. 1 Feng Yuan Blocks a Bear

This portion of the scroll depicts the Emperor Yuandi (7433 BC, reigned 4933 BC) of Han dynasty in the palace watching the wild beasts, but a black bear has escaped and climbed the pillars of the imperial palace. To the left and right of the emperor, the high officials and nobles have fled, with only his favorite lady, Feng Yuan, rushing forward to stop the bear from attacking the emperor. After the guards kill the bear, the emperor asks her why she stood alone to block the bear. She replies, If the beast kills me, it will not attack the throne. Her action touched the emperor.

Fig. 2 Ms. Bans Refusal of a Ride

This painting is of the Emperor Chengdi of Han dynasty (517 BC, reigned 337 BC). When he strolled in the rear court, he wanted his concubine, Ms. Ban to sit with him in the cart, but she refused, saying, Looking at the ancient paintings, it is only the famous officials who accompanied the emperors, and in the Xia (20701600 BC), Shang (16001046 BC), and Zhou (1046256 BC) dynasties, only the fatuous and self-indulgent emperors of the last generation were accompanied by their favored concubines. If I accompany you, wont you be the same as the unworthy last generation of emperors of those three dynasties? The painting depicts the emperors disappointment at the concubines rejection of his invitation.