Virtual Pole Zi Press: Dao Sheng Virtue Accumulation, Material FormIng, Gourd is the best metaphor for "Tao".
Cultural inclusion refers to the internalization phenomenon that occurs when different cultures come into contact with each other, and this process includes many stages such as acceptance, synthesis, and creation, through which culture absorbs external factors to enrich itself. Cultural inclusion is different from both cultural confrontation and cultural assimilation, which is a process of systematic absorption, transformation and reconstruction of foreign cultures and heterogeneous cultures, and at the same time it is also a process of revaluation, reflection and transformation of local cultures. The artifacts depicted in his works by the Persian miniature painting Holy Hand Abasi in his works perfectly embody the fusion of Eastern and Western art.
▲ Reza Abbasi, "Sommelier", circa 1600
Watercolor on paper depicts gold miniature paintings
In this "Sommelier", we see a young man in a lapel robe holding a golden gourd bottle, which may be made of metal or porcelain gourd bottle from China.
▲ [QingQianlong] Qianlong factory official glaze ribbon ear gourd bottle
Height 25.8 cm, caliber 2.8 cm, foot diameter 8.2 cm
Collection of the Palace Museum
The gourd originated in Africa and was introduced to the mainland through North Africa, West Asia and Central Asia. It is not surprising, then, that man-made vessels in the shape of gourds appeared in Persia earlier than on the mainland.
▲ [Gold] Jun kiln sky blue glaze purple red spot amphora gourd bottle
Height 15.8 cm, caliber 2.8 cm, foot diameter 5 cm
In fact, the style of gourd bottles was popularized in the north and south until the Song Dynasty, and after the Yuan Dynasty, Jingdezhen fired a large number of them, and its shape had eight squares, upper circles and lower parts, flat abdomen, long abdomen and so on.
▲ [Ming] brother glazed gourd bottle
The gourd bottle was small at first, designed for portability, and gradually turned into a large appliance. As we all know, the Ming Dynasty Chenghua qinghua that has been handed down to generations is mostly small utensils such as plates, bowls, cups, and cups, while the blue and white gourd vase in the picture below is as high as 41 centimeters, which shows that this porcelain is specially made for religious decorations.
▲ [Ming Chenghua] blue and white tangled lotus pattern gourd bottle
Height 41 cm, caliber 6 cm, foot diameter 16.5 cm
The Chenghua gourd bottle is full of Buddhist motifs such as Yang lotus, covered lotus, and tangled lotus, and the gourd has a deep relationship with Taoism, so this gourd bottle reflects the Chenghua Emperor's pursuit of the unity of Buddhism and Taoism. Later, the Jiajing Emperor specialized in Taoism, so the number of gourd bottles fired during the Jiajing period exploded.
▲ [Ming Jiajing] blue and white Guotai Min'an gourd bottle
Collection of the Guanfu Museum
The Book of Poetry says: "The melon is long, and the people are born at the beginning." With its multi-seeded and vine-entangled characteristics, the gourd has been regarded by the Chinese ancestors since ancient times as a symbol of multiplicity and continuous reproduction. And because "gourd" is close to "Fluke", it has the meaning of praying for Blessing Nalu, so Chinese's love for gourd bottles has lasted for a long time.
▲ [Jin Zhiyuan] Jun kiln sky blue glazed gourd bottle
Height 25.5 cm, caliber 5.2 cm, foot diameter 10.9 cm
The gourd bottle ushered in another period of prosperity during the Kangyongqian period in Guotai Min'an. In the picture below, this gourd bottle fired by the Qianlong Dynasty is painted with alum red painted with extremely lively red bats, and the red bat is harmonized with "Hongfu", which means "Hongfu Qitian", reflecting the fanatical pursuit of "Fulu culture" by the whole society during this period.
▲ [Qingqianlong] Turquoise green alum red cloud bat pattern gourd bottle
Caliber 3.5 cm, base diameter 11.4 cm, height 33.3 cm
Glass is fragile, gold and silver are expensive, the Persians abandoned the traditional material of making gourd bottles, and it is natural to use porcelain gourd bottles fired Chinese, not to mention the gourd bottles from the hands of Chinese, which are no less decorative than the original Products of Persia.
▲ [Republic of China] Pastel melon with continuous pattern ribbon gourd bottle
The Gourd is the best metaphor for the "Tao", which is not only a magic object leading to the fairyland, but also a container for storing Jindan, and it is also a void that swallows the universe. No one knows what medicine is sold in the other side's gourd, just as a nation can never predict what its culture will eventually evolve into other peoples.