Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 11. (Budapest, 1991)

FERENCZY Mária: A modernizáció megjelenése a századeleji kínai ábrázolásokon

p.61. (no.36.), p.63. (no.38.), KNK 1987: p.70. (no.48.); CHPP 1988: no.164-167.

45 13. IMPERIAL BIRTHDAY Inventory no.: 91.30.1 Size: 51 x 107 cm Title: The Emperor's Birthday Feast (Wan shou sheng tien) Signature: Ai chu hua tien

46 Technique: block-printed with black, yellow, brick-red, green, brown colours; handcoloured with yellow, pink, brick-red, dark red, green, light blue, dark blue, white colours and Chinese ink (grey, black). Condition: the paper slightly yellowish, brittle; slightly defective at the rims, at the left in the middle a palm-sized part is missing. In some places the dark red has turned into brown, and the white has become greyish, or blackish. The other colours have kept their original quality. Subject: In the garden of the Summer Palace,

47 among pavilions decorated with guirlands of lampions, under triumphal arches and on a terrace (to the left) bustling courtiers throng to greet the emperor's (according to the title of the print, but in actual fact the dowager empress's) birthday: on the terrace a small group of high-ranking people forms a circle; in the foreground the procession is just in the process of lining up: high-ranking bearded officials with insignia on their hats and gowns, eunuchs and servants, and all kinds of attendants in a variety of clothes. Members of this large company are holding lampions and boards with inscriptions,

48 as well as boxes containing gifts, flags with dragons etc. (there are about eighty persons altogether). Explanation: The prosperity of the empire depended on the emperor, the father and the mother of the people. As a result the health of the ruler was of paramount importance, and his birthday was an event of paramount significance. The dowager empress Tz'u-hsi, as regent, ruled the empire in person — a rather unusual thing in China — and her sixtieth birthday (which was of great significance to her personally) was allowed by her to be commemorated in great style. The year in which her sixtieth birthday fell was 1894, the probable date of the print itself.

49 The dowager empress's birthday was certainly commemorated in a picture painted on a long horizontal scroll, or by a series of pictures. A part of this pictured scroll (not the central one, more probably a part from its right-hand side) could have served as a model for this New Year print. This can be deduced from its structure: the balanced character of the composition which, however, lacks a main figure or a centre, the epic diversity of details, and the fine contours achieved with the "craftsman's brush" technique, as well as the minutely detailed execution.

50 The dominating colours — the blue gowns, the yellow coats, the green patches of the garden and the pink guirlands of the lampions create a peculiar balance on this vivid picture rich in details. Parallel case unknown to me. 14. EULOGY TO FARMING Inventory no.: 89.36.1 Size: 60 x 110 cm Title: Peasants Enjoy Themselves (Nung jen tze lo)

51 Signature: Lien Tseng Tsai chi

52 Technique: block-printed with black, grey, green, yellow colours; hand-coloured with pink, brick-red, red, lilac, brown, pale blue, dark blue, green, white colours, Chinese ink and with gold (ornamentation on some of the clothes). Condition: The thin, yellowish paper is crumpled, rims frazzled, and the colours