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Portrait of an Old Lady Analysis, Sumptuary Laws in place (created early…
Portrait of an Old Lady Analysis
Outfit
Blue robe
Style of the robe was typical for Ming Dynasty Government Officials (called zhong jing fu)
Fabric used for these types of robes described as "deep blue (shenqing) gauze of ramie threads"
Ramie is a type of fiber that comes from grasses found in non-sedentary China. It mimics silk in appearance (long, lustrous fibers), but has qualities similar to linen.
Gauze woven from this fiber was incredibly expensive because it could only be woven on a treadle loom, and if patterns were desired in the final fabric, then two workers were needed to slowly weave the design. Garments made from this fabric were very costly
Robes also required a LOT of fabric (in the portraits, the robes are very voluminous with large sleeves that ruch up around the arms)
Would have been dyed with a mixture of indigo and lime
Fabric is a form of currency and a common gift. Throughout the book, bolts of fabric are given as gifts along side money
Quote from Da Ming Hui Dan recorded in the Met Article (QUOTE 1)
Original laws stated that only government officials could wear it. Emperor Jiajing decreed that royal family members could also wear it, as long as they signified that they were royalty and not just officials. Later, confucian scholars were also allowed to wear them, turning the robe into a symbol of the elite
The couple was dressed in the robe in order to imply that they are of a higher class than they are (not actually a government official and a chief wife, or mingfu)
Gifts of clothing, or borrowing clothing for special occasions was really common (happens a lot in the book)
"... exposing not only the elite but a large
portion of the population to the [robe style]."
Quote from Met Article (QUOTE 3)
Fabric has a faint cloud pattern
Cloud pattern denoted highest rank
Quote from Da Ming Hui Dan recorded in Met Article (QUOTE 2)
No trim on sleeves
White underdress with gold clasps
Gold and pearl earrings
Pearls symbolize the moon, fertility, femininity, and is particularly associated with dragons (symbolizing prosperity and good luck)
Headdress with gold and kingfisher feathers
Meant for special occasions (The character Ch'un-Mei is described as wearing "pearls and trinkets on her head" in Chin P'ing Mei, and the character Meng Yu-lou has a gold headdress as part of her dowry and her wedding costume)
Chin P'ing Mei (QUOTE 8)
Kingfishers symbolize faithfulness and happy marriages
Very symbolically important: throughout the book characters are described as wearing "Kingfisher blue"
Chin P'ing Mei (QUOTE 7)
Manchurian crane rank badge
Used to denote a government official of the highest ranking
Women were not allowed to hold office, so the rank may have belonged to her father or her husband (matching portrait of her husband does not have a rank badge)
In the privacy of their own homes, laws couldn't dictate what was worn, which is probably why the woman was able to wear the rank badge when her husband was not
Highly ornamented belt
Style reflects that of the garb of a working official (the robe is meant for leisure time)
Background
Red and gold brocade seat
Red background with peonies and crysanthemums
Peonies symbolic of nobility and wealth
Chrysanthemum (ju) sounds the same as the word "zhu", which means "good wishes"
Red was a symbolic color used for official robes and special occasions (such as weddings)
Red and blue fabric denote status (main characters in the book are pretty much exclusively described as wearing blue or red)
"[Ch'un-mei] was wearing a scarlet jacket [...] over a skirt with a wide border of kingfisher blue embellished with gold thread [...] Pearl earrings hang low beneath her ears"
Chin P'ing Mei (QUOTE 4)
Hansi Poem "Sending Off" (QUOTE 5)
"..when I came in marriage [...] my red silk gown"
"xinyou"
either 1560's or 1620's
Refers to the 58th year of the 60 year cycle that was used in the Chinese Dynastic Calendar System
Actual painting
Birthday Painting
Birthday paintings were made for elders on their birthdays
Ming Dynasty was very Confucian, so a lot of filial piety
Any portrait made of an elderly family member at this time would want to portray them in a very flattering light (maybe not as fabulously wealthy as they may appear to be)
"Artistic knowledge and practice were channels by which a person could display and publicize his or her or even a family’s wealth" pg 17
"[...], some people cultivated the illusion of superiority and decorum by invoking art." pg 17
Quote from Art by the Book: Painting Manuals and Leisure Life in the Late Ming (QUOTE 6)
Old woman in the portrait is the artists grandmother
Clothes were a huge indicator of social status, and also were a very important part of birthday gifts (as were paintings)
Someone's taste in art was seen as a way to gauge their social worth
Having fancy portraits of yourself, especially wearing fancy clothing, would have been a huge status symbol
Painted using azurite pigment
Extremely expensive paint, because it took so much time and effort to produce
The paint is used extensively on the portrait, since the robe takes up most of the canvas
Symbolic of longevity and immortality
We can tell that it's azurite because the paint is very uneven and granular. Indigo (which was used to dye the actual garments) would have absorbed much more evenly into the silk canvas
The color azure is used a bunch of times throughout the book Chin P'ing Mei, illustrating it's importance and symbolism (most notably in chapter 89, when P'ang Ch'un-mei visits the grave of her mistriss, where she describes heaven as Azure)
Sumptuary Laws in place (created early Ming Dynasty)
Laws had no teeth at the time
The sitters were likely not actually part of the elite class
Hereditary class structure in general was breaking down
People could pretty much dress how they wanted