Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 8. (Budapest, 1965)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Polonyi, Péter: „Keng Chih T'u" ink cake set („Illustration of Husbandry and Weaving") from the Chien-lung period

In addition to these editions mentioned by Pelliot

10

, Franke, Laufer and Jäger, Fuchs

11 mentions the editions from 1699, 1712, 1808 (Chinese and Japanese), undated ChienJung edition, and unknown edition from the middle 18th century, and the painting from 1720. We quote one more edition, from which a plate was reproduced in the Li Shih Chiao Hsüeh 1958. No 6. in 19,7X12,2

12

. Even if this is its relative measurement, in this edition the composition unduobtedly is the narrowest, but not so narrow as in the case of ink cakes. The figures of our ink set do not correspond minutely to those in the editions known by us. The fundamental resemblance, however, bears out undoubtedly that the figures of the ink set derive from the woodcut series. But the narrow, oblong form resulted in decreasing and concentrating the number of figures, in emphasizing the backround by lengthening the trees, in consequence of which the composition the ink-picture became more artistic than that of the woodcuts.

12 Just as the execution clearly shows the influence of the work of Chiao Ping-chen, the maker of the ink set must have started, either directly or indirectly, from the Kang-hsi edition of 1696. The sequence of the pictures indicates that the second supposition is correct. Though each series of the Kang-hsi and Chien-lung edition comprises equally 23—23 pictures, against the ratio: 21—24 of the original Lou Shou work, the orders of the pictures in both editions are at variance with each other at several points. Taking the order of the Kang-hsi edition as our basis we can fix the order of the Chien-lung edition as follows, with the „ploughing" series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, and with the ,,weaving" series: 1, 4,5,8,7,6, 3, 9, 2, 10, 11, 12,14, 13, 15, 19,20, 17, 18, 16, 21, 22, 23.

13 Since the sequence in our ink set corresponds to that of the Chien-lung edition, it was probably made after 1739. Taking into consideration, that the composition of vertically placed brick shaped form makes conceivable even the effect of a hanging scroll —their vogue is proved by the fact that also in the possession of the author there is a „ploughing" part concentrated in four pictures of the „Keng Chi T'u" illustration made presumably in the last century — the ink set might have been produced either on the basis of the Chien-lung edition of 1739, or by taking for basis the painting series created under its influence. A very interesting analogy is offered by the „Keng Chi T'u" ink cakes possessed by Mrs. Sándor Pataki, one of which corresponds to the 21st piece of the „Husbandry" series of Chien-lung edition, (Figs. 7—9.)

14 and the other to the 22-nd piece of the „Weaving" series of the same edition (Figs. 10—12).

15 The form of the two ink cakes is at variance with that of the particular pieces of the ink set owned by our Museum, their design does not agree either 10 Pelliot, Paul: A propos Keng Tche T'ou. Mémoires Concernant l'Asie Orientale I. pp. 65- 122. Paris, 1913. 11 Fuchs, Walter: Rare Ch'ing editions of the Keng-chih-t'u. Studia Serica VI. Ch'eng-tu 1947. pp. 149— 157.; Zum Keng-chih-t'u der Mandju-Zeit und die japanische Ausgabe von 1808. Ostasiatische Studien. Herausgegeben vonl. L. Kluge. Akademie-Verlag. Berlin 1959. pp. 67-80. 12 sHiang Ta in „Ming Ching Chih Chi Chung Kuo Mei Shu Suo Shou Hsi Yang Chih Ying Hsiang" 1930 (In „Tang Tai Chang An Yü Hsi Yü Wen Ming" Peking, 1957. pp. 495 — 531) in p. 509 mentions, that Chiao Ping-chen's work has more then ten editions, but he not does enumerate them. 13 Franke, O.: Keng tschi t'u. . . p. 94. 14 Cf. Franke, 0.: Keng tschi t'u Kano Eino Tafel L. Chiao Ping-cheng Tafel LI. 18 Ibid. Tafel C.resp. CI.