Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 16. (Budapest, 1997)

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1. Chinese ceramic roof embellishments The heyday of figurai and animal-shaped decorative roof ceramics can be said to be the period from the 14th century to the 17th century, the time of the Ming dynasty ( 13681644). These artefacts embellished the ends of the upward-curling eaves of palaces and of Buddhist and Taoist monasteries, and their principal task was the warding off of ill-fortune and the strengthening of benign influences. Among the figurai decorative roof ceramics, officials, depictions of Taoist immortals, demons and devils occur the most frequently, while in those featuring animal figures, dragons, phoenixes, lions, heavenly stallions and horses galloping on water, fish and mythical unicorn-like animals are to be seen. a) Devil figure stepping leftwards Hard tile (sáncai) with green, white and black glaze China, 16th-17th century Height: 35 cm (37.2 cm with its wooden pedestal); Length: 22.3 cm Inv. No.: 95.67 Purchased from József Triznya On its head are two (damaged) horns, and at the back there is thick, black hair falling down to the shoulders. Its face is contorted into a moderate grimace and the eyebrows are raised. On the naked upper part of its body the ribs are modelled clearly and palpably. Over its shoulders is a shawl, while around its waist it wears a green-glazed shirt, which - at the front in the middle - goes down to the ground, and which at the same time serves as a support for the figure. Its muscular arms and calves are uncovered. Its facial expression and arms held on hips radiate strength and determination. Its dynamically formed figure and lively facial expression rank the artefact above the best roof ceramics of the Ming period. Based on its qualities, it may have been made in the 16th century, the heyday for the production of items of this kind, although analogous types are generally dated to the 17th century. b) Devil figure stepping rightwards Hard tile (sáncai). With green, yellow and black glaze China, 17th century Height: 30.5 cm (the figure); 6.4 cm (the roof tile); Length: 22.2 cm Inv. No.: 95.66 Purchased from József Triznya On its head are two short horns; above its forehead there is a headband decorated with skulls. It is depicted with a grimace on its face, raised eyebrows and with ear-rings on its ears. The naked upper part of its body is covered by a shawl placed over the shoulders and tied in front. It wears trousers fastened at the waist and reaching down to the knees. On its arms and legs it wears armour. On one of its feet is a black ankle-boot, and on the other a black ankle-ring. It rests on a cloud between its two feet, and its hands are on its hips. Analogies: China. Eine Wiege der Weltkultur. 5000 Jahre Erfindungen und Entdeckungen. Mainz: Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 1994, Pis. 66, 67 Chinesische Baukeramik. Dachreiter und Schmuckziegel. Frankfurt am Main: Museum für Kunsthandwerk, Kleine Hefte 23, Cat Nos. 15, 16, 17, 18 (Györgyi Fajcsák) 2. Indian tent panels During the rule of the Mughul dynasty in northern India, because the court was much of the time on the move, panels (qanat) played an important role in the decoration of interior spaces. Individually or sewn togther in lines of recurring patterns, they served as portable partition elements in tents on the occassion of hunts, and made the columned halls of the palaces where the court halted during its tours of inspection warmer and more homely. The tent panels were usually made of velvet, on which either designs cut out, using a pattern, from thin gold sheeting were fixed using gum-arabic, or gold paint