Weiner Mihályné szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 7. (Budapest, 1964)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM — MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Horváth, Tibor: Four Archaic Chinese Jade Carwings

There are horizontal lines on the sleeves and vertical ones on the skirt. The former might represent folds, but the latter are less likely to, neither can they be the pattern of the cloth. We must consider their purpose to be the marking off of a larger surface into proportional sections. A wide belt encircles the waist of the dancing girl. The figure is damaged: the right sleeve as well as the right hem of the skirt is broken off. The dancer is represented in action, indicated by the position of the arms and the bending of the knees. The gifted carver did his best by carefully modelling the head and reproducing the rather complicated movement of the girl. The closest analogies to it are found among the finds unearthed at Kin-ts'un, near Loyang, especially in the case of the necklace decorated with pair of dancing girls as well as fragmentary ones with feet stiffly held. They are now in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington. In addition to Umehara Suejis Rakuyö Kinson kobö shuei,

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they are often reproduced. As the entire Kin-ts'un material, they could be dated either to 450—230 B. C.,

12 or 500—200 B. C.

13 The piece under discussion is most similar to the pair of dancers from Kin-ts'un (regarding the folds of the dress, the sleeves, hair-style, posture and position of the knees). But, at the same time, the figure does not have any marks of having been attached to another dancer, or belonging to a pair. We find another dancing girl, jade, in J. C. Fergusons Outlines of Chinese Art,

14 ,,Chow. Collection of Wang I-ying". B. Male Figure (figure 5). Of light-green jade, with a darker tone and brownish spots around the knee. It became discoloured underground and now it is greyish-white from the nose down to the elbow. It is a plaque carved on both sides (front side and back side). The head is sunk into neckless shoulders, the face is round, the ears are not marked. Thin engraved lines denote the eyebrows, the mouth and the eyes. With a headdress which was part of the ritual costume and under the name of wei-mao kuan, was known to be the fourth of the eight kinds of hats regulated by Emperor Ming-ti in 59 B. C. It is likely the earliest kind of this type of hat.

15 His costume reaches the ground and has wide sleeves. The sleeves hide the hands held before the stomach. To the belt which circles his waist, are attached two ribbons, one turning toward the left and the other towards the right. Only the tips of his shoes are visible. Otherwise, the folds and the outlines are deeply engraved. It is 8.9 cm. high, 2.1 cm. wide and 0.4 cm. thick. This figure, by its flatness, engraved lines, style and craftsmanship in general, is undoubtedly related to the dancing girl. The polishing which raises the upper hem of the garment is characteristic of an even earlier period of jade carving. Therefore it might be dated perhaps as a little older than the dancing girl. Human figures are known from the Warring States period. We find them in various publications and manuals. Those made of bronze or wood, but those 11 Selected specimens from the old graves of Kin-ts'un near Lovang, Kvoto, Kobayashi, 1943

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, pl. CVI. and fig. 10; pi. CXI. 2. 12 Bernhard, Karlgren : Notes on a Kin-ts'un Album, BMFEA, 10. 1938. p. 81. 13 Seiichi Mizuno : Bronzes and Jades of Ancient China, Tokyo, Nikon Keizai, 1959. p. 28. 14 Chicago, 1923. 15 Yoshito Harada : Chinese Dress and Personal Ornaments in the Han and Six Dynasties. Tokyo, Toyo Bunko, 1937. pp. 19 — 20. fig. 24.