Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 23. (Budapest, 2004)
Mária FERENCZY: Door Gods. Art and Craftsmanship in the various styles of Chinese New Year Pictures
rich range of the subject matter of the New Year pictures - one of those subject matters that can be considered the most archaic, namely, the depiction of deities and protective spirits, more specifically, door gods (menshen). Even this small section of subject matters can shed light on the function of the pictures and demonstrate the variousness of representation. The selected pictures suggest the social status of their makers, reflect the world concept of their makers and users alike, as well as the change reality underwent. The function of door gods was to drive away demons. In the New Year pictures, they were delineated as grim-visaged generals or high-rank officers and were placed by twos on the wings of doors." These martial generals are known by a number of names. For instance, the figures of Shen Tu and Yu Lei are associated with ancient legends. The two brothers were standing sentinel on a (holy) mountain, recognised demons who were bearing malice to human beings, captured them and gave them to the tigers on the mountain. In a way characteristic of Chinese folk religion, most popular names have biographies linked. According to the most well-known version, the Emperor Taizong (596-659) of the great Tang dynasty (618-907), while sleeping, was guarded steadily by his two faithful generals, Yuchi Gong (also known as Hu Jingde) and Qin Qiong (his style being Subao), who protected their master from assassins and the demons of nightmares. Therefore, the Emperor gave them divine rank. 7 What is more, the legend explains the use of pictures; as it says, the Emperor realised that even his faithful guards needed rest. While the generals were taking their rest, their images painted on the door stood sentinel in their stead. This is how the custom of depicting door gods is supposed to evolve. The iconographie tradition of the two generals' depiction is elaborate and exceedingly variegated as far as the representation of details is concerned; however, it does not distinguish door gods with different names. 8 It is most customary to depict armed, standing figures; another essential type is that of the equestrian general. Nevertheless, in the case of both types multifarious elements may enrich the content with a great number of details even if the god has no retinue. As for the most well-known type, the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts houses two pairs of pictures. In the followings, I will present these hand-coloured wood-block prints and selected associated pictures: Standing door gods from the collection of the Ferenc Hopp Museum 9 (pictures No. 1-2). The basis of the depiction is a highly detailed woodblock print on fine bone-coloured paper. The pictures were hand-painted with chemical pigments of transparent colours (orange, carmine, brown, greyish green, cobalt blue and greyish purple), whitewash and black (thick Chinese ink). With the exception of the faces, the pictures were coloured with fast, vigorous brush strokes; the forms are compact and the brushwork is pictorial in the European sense of the word. The ink-black lines and patches of the beard, the moustache and other details enhance the total effect, just as the fact that the fine thin lines and scrolls of whitewash mark the details of the ornamentation. To heighten the solemnity of the picture, pieces of foliated gold were fixed on the generals' clothes. The pair of pictures lack marks or inscriptions; their origin is not indicated by the museum inventory. Clearly, the woodcut contours associate them with Yangliuqing 10 , and, most probably, they were not produced before the 1930s. The manner of painting and the brushwork, however, are uncommon; so far, I have seen such features exclusively on two pictures from Sichuan." The application of foliated gold is also uncommon. The collection of our Museum houses but one of the pictures closely or remotely associated with this pair of pictures. Nevertheless, a large number of such associated pictures can be found in various publications. In the followings, I am going to deal with but some characteristic variations. 12 2K
