Day 86 - Birthday tapestry


September 6, 2018

Gallery 220 is the first of three galleries in a special exhibition devoted to figural representation in the decorative arts. This gallery centers on depictions of children - almost always boys - reprising the theme of the importance of progeny.  Often boys are shown at play, enjoying the same kinds of diversions - flying kites, riding hobbyhorses, in one case sliding down a big slide - as today's childen.

I'm charmed by a small porcelain pillow base in the form of a young boy. He's lying on his side, his folded left arm cradling his head. His eyes are closed; he looks very comfortable (though it's hard to me to imagine that a pillow on a porcelain base would be all that comfortable). This is one of the older pieces I've seen, from the 11th or 12th century (the Northern Song dynasty).

But what really impresses me is a 19th century silk tapestry, perhaps 12 feet long and 4 1/2 feet wide. There's a lot going on in the tapestry, but the focal point is its center, which  depicts a birthday celebration. I initially notice the two young girls toward the bottom of the scene, perhaps because they are closer to eye level and because they wear pretty gold coronets, and at first, I think it must be a child's birthday that's being celebrated.  Then I look more closely- and read the caption - and note the elderly couple dressed in splendid salmon-colored robes with blue and red accents in the upper register of the scene. They look happy and prosperous (and indeed, they are surrounded by servants), but no effort has been made to disguise their age:  she has white hair and bags under her eyes, and her forehead is wrinkled, while he sports a scraggly beard. They are in front of a pavillion in a garden setting with craggy rocks and pines and what might be a willow. At their feet are three young boys with shaved heads and topknots. Two of them have unfurled a scroll inscribed with the character meaning longevity, while the third lifts up his hands as if in admiration of the scroll. Presumably they are the couple's grandsons; perhaps the girls are the couple's granddaughters?  At the bottom is a bough laden with what I take to be peach blossoms; I consult the internet and learn that the peach tree symbolizes longevity, while its blossom is a sign of luck. 

 Clearly, the tapestry represents a long and good life, and just as clearly, children are a central element of the couple's good fortune.

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