The bas-reliefs of the Han dynasty are almost all comprised in the
sculptured stone slabs embellishing mortuary chambers and of these the
artistic merit is most unequal.[4] Their technique is primitive. It
consists in making the contours of figures by cutting away the stone in
grooves with softened angles, leaving the figure in silhouette. Engraved
lines complete the drawing.
The subjects are sometimes mythical and sometimes legendary. There are
representations of divinities, fabulous animals, scenes of war and of the
chase and processions of people bearing tribute. At times the great
compositions display imposing spectacles, a luxurious and refined array.
Now and then attempts at pictorial perspective are joined to some
unrelated scene.
All this is in direct conflict with the technique of bas-reliefs and leads
to the surmise that the models were drawn by painters and copied with
more or less skill by makers of funeral monuments.
[4] These bas-reliefs have been studied by M. Chavannes in "La
sculpture sur pierre en Chine au temps des deux dynasties Han," Paris,
1893; also in "Mission archeologique en Chine," Paris, 1910. Rubbings
taken from the sculptured slabs are reproduced here in full.
[Illustration: PLATE VI. PAINTING BY AN UNKNOWN ARTIST
T'ang Period. Collection of R. Petrucci.]
This impression is confirmed if certain carved slabs are compared with a
painting by Ku K'ai-chih, of which we can judge by means of a copy made in
the Sung period.[5] One of the scenes of this long scroll leaves no
possible misapprehension as to the pictorial origin of the Han
bas-reliefs. Its subject, a river god on a chariot drawn by dragons, is
similar in composition to the models used by the artisans of the third
century.
We have, however, better testimony than a copy made at a later period. The
British Museum, in London, is the owner of a painting attributed to Ku
K'ai-chih. The reasons impelling us to believe in its authenticity are
weighty, almost indisputable.[6][B] We therefore accept it here and will
endeavor to define the work of one of the greatest painters of China in
the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century.
[5] This painting formed part of the collection of the ex-viceroy Tuan
Fang, killed in 1911, during the revolution. It was published in 1911
by the Japanese archeologist, Mr. Taki.
[6] These reasons are set forth in a work which Mr. Laurence Binyon is
preparing, to accompany a reproduction engraved by Japanese artists
for the British Museum.
[B] The preceding footnote refers to a work published in 1913 by the
Trustees of the British Museum, containing a reproduction of the
painting in its entirety and giving a full description.--TRANSLATOR.
The painted scenes are inspired by a work of the third century containing
admonitions addressed to the ladies of the imperial palace. The striking
characteristics of these compositions are the lightness and delicacy of
style, the poetry of the attitudes and the supreme elegance of the forms.
Heavy black tresses frame the ivory faces with refined and subtle charm.
The voluptuous caprice of garments in long floating folds, the extreme
perfection of the figures and the grace of gestures make this painting a
thing of unique beauty. Only through the cultivation of centuries could
such spiritual insight be attained.
If the copy from the collection of Tuan Fang recalls the bas-reliefs of
the Han period, the painting in the British Museum is related to the
bas-reliefs of Long-men, which date from the seventh century and of which
M. Chavannes has published photographs. Therefore we may say that the
style of Ku K'ai-chih exemplifies the distinctive features of Chinese
painting at a period extending from the third to the seventh centuries.[7]
[7] A copy of an engraving on stone of the year 1095, representing
"Confucius sitting amidst his disciples" and another representing
"Confucius walking, followed by one of his disciples," dated 1118,
have been published by M. de Chavannes ("Mission archeologique en
Chine," Nos. 869 and 871). The latter is considered as having been
undoubtedly executed after a painting by Ku K'ai-chih.
It should also be noted that toward the end of the fifth or the beginning
of the sixth century, the painter and critic Hsieh Ho formulated the
Six Canons[8] upon which the far-eastern code of Aesthetics is founded.
These Canons introduce philosophical conceptions and technical knowledge
which also presuppose long cultivation, for it is only after rules have
been brought to reality in a work of art that they are formulated into a
code. Therefore when Buddhism appeared in China it found there a native
art whose value was proved beyond question by a long succession of
masterpieces. After having exhausted every manifestation of strength and
vigor, this art had arrived at expressions of extreme refinement and
profound and appealing charm, closely verging on the disquieting dreams of
decadence.
[8] Interpretations of the Six Canons by five authorities are
accessible in a very convenient form for comparison in Mr. Laurence
Binyon's "Flight of the Dragon," p. 12.--TRANSLATOR.
[Illustration: PLATE VII. GEESE
Sung Period. British Museum, London.]