Some Recent Accessions in the Far Eastern DepartmentAuthor(s): Pauline SimmonsSource: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 8 (Aug., 1934), pp. 136-138Published by: The Metropolitan Museum of ArtStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3256867 .

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BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

eleventh-century stele'; another example,2 dating from the twelfth century, is shown this month in the Room of Recent Acces- sions.

The recently acquired marble stele shows in the central panel an arched prayer niche resting on two columns and filled with eight rows of Kufic writing. The arched compart-

eleventh-century stele'; another example,2 dating from the twelfth century, is shown this month in the Room of Recent Acces- sions.

The recently acquired marble stele shows in the central panel an arched prayer niche resting on two columns and filled with eight rows of Kufic writing. The arched compart-

MARBLE STELE, PERSIAN, XII CENTURY MARBLE STELE, PERSIAN, XII CENTURY

ment is decorated with arabesques and these are repeated in the spandrels of the prayer niche. The central panel is bordered on three sides by a Naskhi inscription on a background of palmette scrolls. Above and below are bands of inscription in a simple form of Kufic writing. The whole stele is framed on three sides by more elaborate Kufic characters on a background of arabesque scrolls. The inscription within the prayer niche is translated as follows:

1 Joseph M. Upton, BULLETIN, vol. XXVI (1931), pp. 161, 163-164.

2Acc. no. 33.118. Rogers Fund, 1933. Shown in the exhibition of Persian art in London in 1931; see Gaston Wiet, L'Exposition persane de 1931, p. 27, pl. X.

ment is decorated with arabesques and these are repeated in the spandrels of the prayer niche. The central panel is bordered on three sides by a Naskhi inscription on a background of palmette scrolls. Above and below are bands of inscription in a simple form of Kufic writing. The whole stele is framed on three sides by more elaborate Kufic characters on a background of arabesque scrolls. The inscription within the prayer niche is translated as follows:

1 Joseph M. Upton, BULLETIN, vol. XXVI (1931), pp. 161, 163-164.

2Acc. no. 33.118. Rogers Fund, 1933. Shown in the exhibition of Persian art in London in 1931; see Gaston Wiet, L'Exposition persane de 1931, p. 27, pl. X.

"This is the tomb of Abu Sa'd, son of Muhammad, son of Ahmad, son of al- Hasan . .. (?), deceased in Muharram of the year 545 (May, 150)." The line of writ- ing below the central panel reads: "Work of Ahmad, son of Muhammad . . . (?)." The tombstone thus bears not only the name and date of the deceased but also the name of the sculptor. The other inscrip- tions are quotations from the Koran. The stele which complemented this one was probably entirely Koranic.

The ornament, carved in low relief, is characteristic of the Seljuk period, which was one of the most brilliant in Persian art. The decorative use of writing was developed to perfection by the Seljuk artists, as one may see in many architectural monuments and in contemporary sculpture, pottery, and textiles.

M. S. DIMAND.

SOME RECENT ACCESSIONS IN THE FAR EASTERN

DEPARTMENT

In the Room of Recent Accessions there are shown during the current month several acquisitions by purchase. Among them is a little gilt-bronze Kuan Yin which dates from the T'ang dynasty and which has all the life and grace which mark sculpture of that great period-the figure slender and sinuous, the hands and face delicately modeled, the flowing draperies and jeweled chains rendered with a few deft strokes. The figure stands on a lotus base which in turn is mounted on a six-sided hollow stand. The peg at the back of the head indicates that it was once part of an altar set. Only three complete altar sets of this type are known to exist and two of these are the Wei groups which are at present on loan in our galleries.

An interesting new type of miniature vo- tive tablet has been added to the fairly rep- resentative group exhibited and published some.time ago.' These little Buddhistic tab- lets are frequently dated and so are ex- tremely valuable to the student of Chinese sculpture, since they reproduce in miniature types of large sculpture. The one shown

1 BULLETIN, vol. XXVI (1931), pp. 209-213.

"This is the tomb of Abu Sa'd, son of Muhammad, son of Ahmad, son of al- Hasan . .. (?), deceased in Muharram of the year 545 (May, 150)." The line of writ- ing below the central panel reads: "Work of Ahmad, son of Muhammad . . . (?)." The tombstone thus bears not only the name and date of the deceased but also the name of the sculptor. The other inscrip- tions are quotations from the Koran. The stele which complemented this one was probably entirely Koranic.

The ornament, carved in low relief, is characteristic of the Seljuk period, which was one of the most brilliant in Persian art. The decorative use of writing was developed to perfection by the Seljuk artists, as one may see in many architectural monuments and in contemporary sculpture, pottery, and textiles.

M. S. DIMAND.

SOME RECENT ACCESSIONS IN THE FAR EASTERN

DEPARTMENT

In the Room of Recent Accessions there are shown during the current month several acquisitions by purchase. Among them is a little gilt-bronze Kuan Yin which dates from the T'ang dynasty and which has all the life and grace which mark sculpture of that great period-the figure slender and sinuous, the hands and face delicately modeled, the flowing draperies and jeweled chains rendered with a few deft strokes. The figure stands on a lotus base which in turn is mounted on a six-sided hollow stand. The peg at the back of the head indicates that it was once part of an altar set. Only three complete altar sets of this type are known to exist and two of these are the Wei groups which are at present on loan in our galleries.

An interesting new type of miniature vo- tive tablet has been added to the fairly rep- resentative group exhibited and published some.time ago.' These little Buddhistic tab- lets are frequently dated and so are ex- tremely valuable to the student of Chinese sculpture, since they reproduce in miniature types of large sculpture. The one shown

1 BULLETIN, vol. XXVI (1931), pp. 209-213.

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BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

bears the inscription: Ta T'ang K'ai Yuan nien tsao, "Made in the K'ai Yuan period of the great T'ang dynasty" (concording with 713-742). It represents Gautama Buddha, his hands in the vitarka (argu- ment) mudra, seated on a lotus throne un- der the Bodhi tree and attended by two disciples. The top of the tablet, unlike any other that we have seen, is molded to form a canopy, and a small seated Buddha is shown at the peak. The pitted surface of the tile, which must have been produced by molding the figure in a wrapping of very rough coarse cloth, is unusual also.

Progressing to the Ming dynasty, we have an embroidered Lamaist temple ban- ner which, although badly muddled as to iconography, as are many of the Tibetan pictures, is a great find for our Chinese em- broidery collection. Heretofore it has been a common theory that the Chinese petit point, Florentine, and canvas stitches were probably eighteenth-century importations from Europe, but now we have them on a piece which cannot be later than the six- teenth century and is possibly earlier, and we are encouraged to try to find definite evidence as to the time and manner of their introduction into China. The fact that work of this type found in Tibet is at least two centuries earlier than any we have seen from China proper is a workable clue on which to begin. The figure represented on the banner is one of the Taras but it seems next to impossible to tell which one, since the Lamaist interpretation here is even more jumbled than usual. There are more than thirty forms of the goddess Tara and their attributes are carefully defined in Buddhist records, but the Lamas are noto- riously ignorant and each century of Buddhist worship in Tibet has added scores of misinterpretations, until many of the deities have come to be all but unrecogniza- ble. This is no reflection, however, on the esteem in which the Tibetans hold their gods. The goddess Tara is probably their favorite and her attributes are all-embrac- ing. We have, to name only a few: Tara, the Mother; Tara, the Supremely Courageous; Tara, of White-Moon Brightness; Tara, the Giver of Prosperity; Tara, the Dispeller of Distress. Our own is probably one of the

eight fierce Taras who come under the clas- sification of Defenders. The invocation2 from the manual of Tara's worship, which is one of the commonest booklets in Tibet and which most of the laymen know by heart, is strangely familiar:

:n~~~~~~ reril )~~~~~~~~~ I 1~~~~

i4

KUAN YIN WITH A FAWN FUKIEN WARE, K'ANG HSI PERIOD

"Hail! 0! verdant Tara! The Saviour of all beings! Descend, we pray Thee, from Thy heav-

enly mansion, at Potala, Together with all Thy retinue of gods,

titans, and deliverers! We humbly prostrate ourselves at Thy

lotus feet! Deliver us from all distress! O Holy

Mother!" 2 Translated by L. A. Waddell, Journal of the

Royal Asiatic Society, I894, p. 69.

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BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART BULLETIN OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

Two figures of Kuan Yin represent the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and are typical of the objets d'art which became popular under the emperors K'ang Hsi and Ch'ien Lung. Here the god has exchanged his earlier spiritual aura and lofty mien for a conscious decorative quality. So far as the grace of the figures, the sweeping robes, and the elaborate coiffures are concerned, the new interpretation is charming, but one has only to compare the vacuous faces with those of the T'ang figures to be made con- scious of a diminishing religious fervor and a consequently diminishing artistic power. A white porcelain group represents Kuan Yin3 with a fawn carrying on its back a saddle on which rests a vase of flowers. The fine white, highly vitrified porcelain, which is made in the province of Fukien, is cov- ered with a soft translucent glaze so per- fectly blended with the clay that it is almost impossible to find the dividing line between body and glaze. Every detail is beautifully modeled-the flowing folds of the robe, the delicate hands, and the elabo- rately decorated headdress. This piece dominates the small group of Fukien por- celains in the Museum collection and com- pares very favorably with similar pieces throughout the world. The Kuan Yin carved from rhinoceros horn,4 an unusual medium, is of the Ch'ien Lung period. Here again the figure is graceful and decorative but the face, like that of the porcelain deity, is the face of an ordinary mortal, not of a god. PAULINE SIMMONS.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DURER

The exhibition of early and Renaissance prints and illustrated books now on view in the four smaller print galleries on the second floor of Wing K contains a number of books illustrated by Durer, and thus offers an opportunity to call attention to the Mu- seum's collection of single illustrations and books illustrated by him. It may be that Diirer's work as an illustrator is as fully represented in the Print Room as in any American collection. By most people he is

3 Acc. no. 34-13. 4 Acc. no. 33.161.

Two figures of Kuan Yin represent the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and are typical of the objets d'art which became popular under the emperors K'ang Hsi and Ch'ien Lung. Here the god has exchanged his earlier spiritual aura and lofty mien for a conscious decorative quality. So far as the grace of the figures, the sweeping robes, and the elaborate coiffures are concerned, the new interpretation is charming, but one has only to compare the vacuous faces with those of the T'ang figures to be made con- scious of a diminishing religious fervor and a consequently diminishing artistic power. A white porcelain group represents Kuan Yin3 with a fawn carrying on its back a saddle on which rests a vase of flowers. The fine white, highly vitrified porcelain, which is made in the province of Fukien, is cov- ered with a soft translucent glaze so per- fectly blended with the clay that it is almost impossible to find the dividing line between body and glaze. Every detail is beautifully modeled-the flowing folds of the robe, the delicate hands, and the elabo- rately decorated headdress. This piece dominates the small group of Fukien por- celains in the Museum collection and com- pares very favorably with similar pieces throughout the world. The Kuan Yin carved from rhinoceros horn,4 an unusual medium, is of the Ch'ien Lung period. Here again the figure is graceful and decorative but the face, like that of the porcelain deity, is the face of an ordinary mortal, not of a god. PAULINE SIMMONS.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DURER

The exhibition of early and Renaissance prints and illustrated books now on view in the four smaller print galleries on the second floor of Wing K contains a number of books illustrated by Durer, and thus offers an opportunity to call attention to the Mu- seum's collection of single illustrations and books illustrated by him. It may be that Diirer's work as an illustrator is as fully represented in the Print Room as in any American collection. By most people he is

3 Acc. no. 34-13. 4 Acc. no. 33.161.

thought of as an engraver who occasionally designed woodcuts. The fact is that he was an illustrator who occasionally made single woodcuts and engravings. It was as an illus- trator that he was best known to his con- temporaries, and it was through his illus- trations that he exerted his greatest influ- ence.

In 1498 Diirer published his Apocalypse (15 woodcuts) at Nuremberg, in a German and a Latin edition. In 151 he republished it with an additional woodcut. The Museum has "proofs" of six of the Apocalypse cuts, two copies of the edition of 1511, and a number of single pages. One of the copies of the book, though badly cut down, is of peculiar interest because of a complicated monogram, superimposed over a represen- tation of a woodcutter's knife, that appears on the back of one of the illustrations, and that if genuine would seem to have some connection with the cutting of the blocks. Meder interprets the monogram as A D + c B F, the F standing for fecit. A copy of the book and one of the proofs are in the exhibition.

The Apocalypse was published when Direr was twenty-five or twenty-six years old and contains his earliest signed illustra- tions. There are a few signed single-sheet woodcuts by him that must have been made while he was working at the Apocalypse, but not enough of them to explain either his activity up to that time or the fully formed technique shown in them. Modern scholars, therefore, in the hope of discover- ing illustrations that could be attributed to this earlier period, have most carefully gone through all the books printed in the towns which there is reason to believe were visited by Direr as a young man. Their search has resulted in the discovery of a number of illustrations that have been attributed to him.

The earliest woodcut unquestionably by Durer is a picture of Saint Jerome that ap- peared in an edition of the saint's letters printed at Basel in I492. Unsigned, it would be unrecognizable as Diirer's, were it not that the original woodblock is still in ex- istence at Basel and bears on the back his original handwritten signature. It thus serves the very useful function of showing

thought of as an engraver who occasionally designed woodcuts. The fact is that he was an illustrator who occasionally made single woodcuts and engravings. It was as an illus- trator that he was best known to his con- temporaries, and it was through his illus- trations that he exerted his greatest influ- ence.

In 1498 Diirer published his Apocalypse (15 woodcuts) at Nuremberg, in a German and a Latin edition. In 151 he republished it with an additional woodcut. The Museum has "proofs" of six of the Apocalypse cuts, two copies of the edition of 1511, and a number of single pages. One of the copies of the book, though badly cut down, is of peculiar interest because of a complicated monogram, superimposed over a represen- tation of a woodcutter's knife, that appears on the back of one of the illustrations, and that if genuine would seem to have some connection with the cutting of the blocks. Meder interprets the monogram as A D + c B F, the F standing for fecit. A copy of the book and one of the proofs are in the exhibition.

The Apocalypse was published when Direr was twenty-five or twenty-six years old and contains his earliest signed illustra- tions. There are a few signed single-sheet woodcuts by him that must have been made while he was working at the Apocalypse, but not enough of them to explain either his activity up to that time or the fully formed technique shown in them. Modern scholars, therefore, in the hope of discover- ing illustrations that could be attributed to this earlier period, have most carefully gone through all the books printed in the towns which there is reason to believe were visited by Direr as a young man. Their search has resulted in the discovery of a number of illustrations that have been attributed to him.

The earliest woodcut unquestionably by Durer is a picture of Saint Jerome that ap- peared in an edition of the saint's letters printed at Basel in I492. Unsigned, it would be unrecognizable as Diirer's, were it not that the original woodblock is still in ex- istence at Basel and bears on the back his original handwritten signature. It thus serves the very useful function of showing

138 138

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