Ritual has played a crucial role in Chinese culture from the earliest times dating back to the Eastern Han (770-256 BC). It is a structured event that tells the Chinese conceptions of God and the divine, the philosophy of religion, and their belief system through the ages. Now we are able to take a glimpse of this important part of the history through a selection of colourful ceramic ritual vessels which are currently on display at an exhibition titled For Blessings and Guidance: the Qianlong Emperor’s Design for State Sacrificial Vessels in Hong Kong.
Two white glazed Xing vessels. Vessels of this type and colour were displayed in pairs close to the spirit tablet on offering tables at the Temple to Jupiter
Mr. Anthony K. W. Cheung, Master of Huaihaitang (second one from the right) and Iain Clark (third one from the left)
Yellow glazed Fu and Xing vessels, and yellow glazed stem bowl, Deng, were displayed at the Altars to Earth, Land, Agriculture and Sericulture
The exhibited ritual vessels are donated to the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong by two prominent collectors, Mr. Anthony K. W. Cheung, Master of Huaihaitang, and Dr. Iain Clark. With the support of these two gentlemen, the Art Museum now has the largest repository of Qing ritual vessels outside of the Forbidden City.
Speaking of Chinese ritual vessels, many of us are more familiar with the bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. During the Qing dynasty, ceramic ritual vessels were used in nine altars and three temples. Another twelve temples or halls required vessels made in bronze, wood, lacquer and jade, and many form, size and design similar to the ceramic vessels.
Blue glazed stem bowl, moon-white glazed stem bowl and red glazed stem bowl, Deng with Qianlong mark (1736-1795)/ Jiaqing mark (1796-1820) under base
3D printing of Qing zhan vessels
The use of colour survived from the prehistoric times and grew in significance in state ritual in China. The Five Colours, namely black, blue/green, red, white and yellow, correspond to the Five Phases. They were cast in a network of co-relationships linking an extensive array of widely varying elements. This deliberate and explicit use of colour in a ritual context in China first occurred long before the Shang period and recorded history. For example, the colour blue/green was used in the Altar to the Sun whereas the colour black was used in the Altar to Earth.
For more than fifteen hundred years, these colour relationships remain unchanged. Until the early Ming dynasty, the long-standing association between colours and directions integral to the Five Phases Theory was varied and colours were re-assigned at major altars and temples. Under the new assignment, the Altar to Sun was red and the Altar to Earth was yellow.
Temple of Prayers for the New Year
Blue glazed dou vessels were displayed at the Temple of Prayers for the New Year as container for a wide variety of meat and vegetable dishes
Blue glazed dou vessels were displayed at the Temple of Prayers for the New Year as container for a wide variety of meat and vegetable dishes
The colours of the glaze on the ceramic ritual vessels give us clues about where they were displayed. For instance, blue glaze dou vessels were displayed in groups of 12 on the left side of offering tables at the Temple of Prayers for the New Year. They contained a wide variety of meat and vegetable dishes for a sacrificial offering banquet.
Dou developed among the first food vessels as covered stem bowls. Bronze dou were used as offering vessels for cereal and grain in the Zhou dynasty, about the nineth century BC. It was abandoned at the beginning of the Han dynasty and was revived as an archaistic vessel during the Song period. Ceramic covered vessels in the shape of archaic dou were made for a short time in the Ming period and both Yongle and Xuande periods.
For Blessings and Guidance: the Qianlong Emperor’s Design for State Sacrificial Vessels
Period: 26 January - 5 May 2019
Venue: Gallery I, Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Opening hours:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays｜10am - 5pm
Sundays and public holidays｜1pm - 5pm
Thursdays (except public holidays), New Year, Lunar New Year, Easter and Christmas Holidays｜closed
Admission: Free