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

FERENCZY Mária: A modernizáció megjelenése a századeleji kínai ábrázolásokon

emerges from a swirling grey cloud with a golden lucky ju-yi sceptre in the right hand, with the left hand throwing a flaming green pearl among the fighters. As it flies it emits a spiral of smoke towards the middle of the picture. Explanation: The source of the scene is one of the stories belonging to the later period of vulgar literary tradition.

42 The persons — fabulous, mythical beings — have been put into a real landscape by the artist, and are clothed in theatrical costumes. (This very fact makes it clear without further ado that use of the story had been made by both story-tellers and playwrights.) In the presentation the stagelike elements play an important role: besides increasing the spectacular nature of the sight, the picture brings home the festive world of the theatre itself, the very feast. Moreover, in this way the picture proves attractive even to those unfamiliar with the story proper: abundance is symbolized/promised by the fish, many offspring by the ch'i-lin, long life by the willow, friends by the bamboo, and riches by the pearl. Parallel cases as yet unknown to me. Pictures in a similar style (a fabulous theatrical scene placed into a realistic landscape) e.g. CHPP 1988: nos. 129. and 144.; ELIASBERG: p.29. (no.6.); KNK 1987: p.69. (no.47.), p.35. (no.19., with water-folk similar to our picture). 11. THEATRE SCENE WITH THREE PERSONS (THE CHEMISE SET WITH PEARLS) Inventory no.: 89.49.1 Size: 35 x 59,5 cm Title: The Chemise Set with Pearls (Chen chu shan) Signature: Jung ch'ang hua tien

43 Technique: block-printed with black and (over the hand colouring) gold colours (the ornamentation of the clothes); handcoloured with mustard yellow, orange, pink, red, dark claret, light blue, dark blue, pale green, light brown, white colours and Chinese ink; fine work, delicately done. Condition: Its paper a little yellowish, with the rims frazzled, the upper left part missing. Vivid colours. Subject: Two women sit facing each other at a table with winecups. Behind the woman on the left a young woman is standing. The woman on the right wears pied clothes, a flowery headgear and red shoes. There are two round, claret patches on her tanned face. She holds a feather fan in her hands, one foot, bent, is placed on the knee of the other. The woman in front of her exhibits a different style with her richly adorned robe, flowery headgear and demure pose. No background is shown; the environment is indicated by the table and the seats only beside the persons, as in the Chinese theatre, offering wide possibilities for the onlookers' imagination. Explanation: 'The Chemise Set with Pearls' is the title of a novel in the Chin lai ch'i kuan, a seventeenth-century collection of stories. The story, the adventures of a wandering merchant, has been worked into several plays. The scene relates that the San-chiao-erh, the young wife of the merchant, temporarily left alone is being persuaded by the neighbouring elderly woman, a procuress, to look for a bit of consolation in her solitude. Of course, complications arise, but finally the couple are reunited, and the family becomes more complete through the acquisition of a second wife. This idyllic ending can thus be regarded as a magic omen. Parallel cases (the same theme) as yet unknown to me. Similar representations can be found everywhere in all the sources cited (this being the original, archaic, form of the representation of theatre scenes).