Pharaoh
Pharaoh
The flying fish pattern is one of the traditional allegorical patterns of the Ming Dynasty, and the clothes with the flying fish pattern as the complementary color are called flying fish clothes.
The so-called flying fish pattern is a python shape and a slightly different fins and fish tail, not a real flying fish shape, which is a fictional image similar to the dragon's head, fish body and wings.
Since its appearance and development to the Ming Dynasty, it has formed a unique ornament.
So, how did the Ming Dynasty give the flying fish pattern to develop?
Is it as we know that only the Jinyi Wei with strong martial arts is worthy of wearing the flying fish suit?
1. Traceability and evolution of flying fish pattern
(1) Exploration of the source of flying fish pattern culture
The concept of flying fish first appeared in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, but at that time, most of them were depicted in words or picture books, and were not used in clothing or other utensils.
"The Classic of Mountains and Seas" contains: "Its shape is like a dolphin and red text, and it is not thunderous, and it can be used to resist soldiers"; "The Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Classic of the West Mountains" mentions that "the mountain of Taiqi, the water is out of the Yan, and the west flows into the quicksand."
It is a multi-text ray, shaped like a carp, with a fish body and bird wings, a white head and a red beak, which travels long in the West Sea, swims in the East China Sea, and flies at night. Its sound is like Luan chicken, its taste is sweet and sour, and the food has been crazy, and the world is big when you see it."
Also known as the "manfish", the flying fish was originally a winged fish, a strange species of fish and birds (Figure 1).
The development of the flying fish pattern to the middle and late Ming Dynasty has also undergone historical changes.
From its appearance to its fusion with the foreign demon exhaustion pattern to the Ming Dynasty flying fish pattern, it developed into the middle and late Ming Dynasty, showing a dragon's head, a python body with four claws, fins, and a fish tail (Fig. 2).
The tail of the flying fish is a fish tail, which resembles a dragon pattern, and the biggest difference from the traditional dragon pattern is the difference in the tail.
(2) The evolution of the flying fish pattern
In the description of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", it is found that the flying fish is a carp with wings, which is in line with the shape of the Mo exhaustion fish in the Wei and Jin dynasties.
Gu Kaizhi, a master of painting in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, created a masterpiece of Luo Shen Fu (fig. 3a) inspired by Luo Shen Fu, in which he vividly presented the image of "demon exhaustion".
There is no shortage of exotic beasts in this painting, with Roselle sitting gracefully in a boat, and traditional Chinese beasts such as dragons and unicorns in the river.
In the lower left part of the picture, two monsters are hidden, their heads resembling beasts but in the shape of fishes, especially their curled noses, which are reminiscent of the figures of the demons (fig. 3b).
Oriental Capricorn with the body of a beasthead fish Figure 3b Oriental Capricorn
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Moji pattern was introduced to China with the eastward spread of Buddhism, and it was gradually localized in China with the course of history (Table 1).
In ancient Hindu mythology, the Majā was known for its massive size, often depicting the head of a beast (or crocodile or elephant), a long snout, a wide mouth, sharp teeth, and a fish's tail.
Crocodile head Capricorn image slate
From the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, with the spread of Buddhism, the pattern of Moji entered Middle-earth. The image of this monster from the West has undergone a magnificent metamorphosis in China.
Its cultural connotation has changed from a terrifying monster in Indian folklore to a rui beast full of Chinese elements, meaning auspiciousness and blessings.
Capricorn patterns on Liao Dynasty water vessels
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the motif was gradually integrated into the traditional Chinese totem ornamentation, fused with iconic motifs such as fish and dragon motifs.
Due to the Chinese's special worship of "dragon" and "fish", Mo Qian not only got the double fins of the fish, but also gave the dragon two horns, giving it a unique style.
Qingyu Ichthyosaurus, Ming Dynasty, Hunan Provincial Museum
In India, it is considered to be the essence of the river and the foundation of life, so after it was introduced to China with Buddhism, it naturally merged with the Chinese water gods "fish" and "dragon".
Liao-Capricorn pattern gold and silver plate
Due to the various auspicious meanings such as "many sons and many blessings" and "carp jumping over the dragon gate" in China's "fish culture", as well as the spiritual worship of the dragon as a totem.
This mosaic shape of the dragon's head (Fig. 4) was highly regarded in the Tang Dynasty.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Sinicized shape of the Moji still retained the characteristics of the Indian Moji proboscis up, but in the Liaojin Dynasty, the shape of the Moji pattern gradually became shorter and slowly disappeared (Fig. 5).
Liao white jade Capricorn with beads The Palace Museum
During the Southern Song Dynasty, the development trend of the Moji pattern became more interesting.
The local elements of Chinese culture are deeply integrated, and the head of Mo Zhi has become more chic than an upturned proboscis with a wide open mouth, exposed fangs, and a long tongue.
Gilded Capricorn silver plate
In this era, the image of Moji has undergone a gorgeous evolution, and gradually evolved into a Chinese-style image of "a combination of fish and dragon, with a dragon head and a carp".
This unique fusion shape is vividly called the "fish and dragon pattern", and it injects a new life into the mosa.
In the Song Dynasty, the fish and dragon motifs were widely used in porcelain ornaments.
The body is shaped like a carp (Fig. 6), but the back and abdomen of the fish are not painted with fins, but with large wings.
The head has a forked horn that can only be found in the dragon's head, and the shape of the head is almost different from that of the dragon pattern of the same period, except for the nose.
On the other hand, some of the images of Moji have been creatively developed on the basis of ichthyosaurs.
The carp's form is elongated, and the proportions of the head gradually exceed the relationship between the dragon's head and the dragon's body, and even magically grow dragon-like forelimbs.
White jade fish dragon collection of the National Palace in Taipei
During this period, the motifs not only became more and more mysterious, but also gradually resembled the shape of the dragon.
In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it was rare to find ornaments that could be classified as traditional motifs, and the curly nose features disappeared completely, and the moji image completely realized the transformation of Sinicization.
Yuan white jade Capricorn stripe plate
In the Ming Dynasty, it was called "flying fish pattern", and the flying fish pattern was used most on clothing. The flying fish pattern was widely used in the Ming Dynasty, which changed at different times in the Ming Dynasty and had different forms (Table 2).
The flying fish pattern in the early Ming Dynasty is represented by the Xuande seawater flying fish pattern large jar, and the flying fish head has the characteristics of the dragon head in the early Ming Dynasty, with a fierce image and a dynamic change with its wings stretched out (Fig. 7).
In the Jiajing period, the dragon body of the flying fish pattern dragon head in the transitional period had no limbs, only two wings, pectoral fins, and pelvic fins, and the tail was fishtail-shaped.
After the Jiajing Dynasty in the late Ming Dynasty, the flying fish pattern was changed to the dragon pattern as the basis of the modeling, and the python pattern was used for the main body design (Fig. 8), with the dragon's head, four claws on the forelimbs, and wings on both sides. In the Qing Dynasty, it was no longer popular and gradually disappeared in the long river of history.
FIGURE 8
Second, the analysis of the elements of the flying fish pattern
Through the study of the existing flying fish clothing, it was found that the patterns of the Ming Dynasty clothing included such over-the-shoulder styles, complement styles, and so on.
The elements of the flying fish pattern mainly include the flying fish, the seawater river pattern, and the Sihe Ruyi auspicious clouds. Study the color and element composition of the flying fish pattern, and explore the profound cultural value and metaphor of the flying fish pattern.
(1) Flying fish pattern
Flying fish, the legendary ancient beast, according to the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": "Its shape is like a dolphin and red text, and it is not thunderous, and it can be used against soldiers." "The costume with the flying fish pattern as a supplement is one of the classic costumes of the Ming Dynasty Jinyiwei.
"The Legend of the Kingdom of Linyi" said: "The flying fish has a round body, a long zhang, heavy feathers, and wings like a cicada." In the "Dictionary of Chinese Cultural Relics", it is recorded: "The flying fish is in the shape of a python and adds a fin and tail, and it also has two horns, but it is shorter." ”
The most typical flying fish shape of the Ming Dynasty is designed with a python pattern as the main body shape, with a dragon head, two wings, a fish tail, and four claws on both feet. The wings, fins, and tails of the flying fish have typical and representative characteristics in the image.
These features are not only used to distinguish similar clothing patterns such as dragons, pythons, and bullfights, but also the needs of the Ming Dynasty's hierarchical regulations.
(2) Seawater river pattern
In the Ming Dynasty flying fish pattern, the seawater river pattern was used on the lower and edge parts of the ornament.
In feudal society, the elements of the water pattern in the seawater river pattern symbolize the rivers, seas and lakes, and the mountain pattern is also ginger buds, which means that the mountains overlap and symbolize the rivers and mountains, and the combination of the two means "feudal rule".
The seawater river pattern implies the beautiful meaning of the upper-class rulers, and metaphorizes the meaning of "unification of the country and mountains", "eternal peace" and "eternal land". Therefore, it often appears in the patch patterns of officials' court uniforms.
As an auxiliary decorative pattern on the clothing complement of officials in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the seawater river cliff pattern has no fixed form, and the mountain stone has no fixed shape, which is divided into "sea water pattern" and "river edge pattern".
The sea ripples are dominated by wave-type waves, the waves of the water ripples are more flexible, although there is a certain regularity, you can still see different undulating waves, and only occupy a small part of the edge of the decorative picture, the wave sea pattern symbolizes the rivers, seas and lakes, and the towering mountains and rocks are the river patterns.
The form of a mountain is in the form of a continuous mountain, consisting of three or five peaks connected together, with the highest peak in the middle and decreasing in height on both sides, usually one, three, or five mountains in one picture.
In terms of color, the seawater Jiangya pattern removes the gold in the plain complement, which is basically mostly reflected in the natural color.
As one of the auxiliary ornaments, it is used in the flying fish pattern, which appears in a symbolic form below the flying fish shape to set off the mighty posture of the flying fish shape.
(3) Sihe Ruyi moire
As a traditional Chinese ornament, moire has undergone the evolution of many dynasties until the Qing Dynasty, which not only has a decorative effect, but also contains a profound meaning.
In the process of moire evolution, different forms are produced according to the degree of craftsmanship and technology in different eras.
From the cloud and thunder patterns of the Shang and Zhou dynasties to the cloud patterns of the Han Dynasty, and then to the Ganoderma lucidum cloud patterns of the Tang and Song dynasties, it has a very high level of craftsmanship and appreciation value, reflecting the continuous efforts of the ancient people of the mainland to meet their own aesthetic needs.
In the Ming Dynasty, moire was the most common and popular decorative pattern, commonly used are Sihe Ruyi cloud, Ruyi cloud, lying cloud, line cloud, large and small hook cloud, bone cloud and so on.
According to the morphological division, the quadruple ruyi cloud can be divided into three types: the first is a banded cloud protruding from the top and bottom, and a small hook cloud sticking out from the left and right (Fig. 9a), which is composed of single lines and double lines.
The second type of quadruple ruyi cloud has a small hook cloud sticking out from each of the four directions, which is neat and staggered (Fig. 9b).
The third type is a banded cloud with a banded cloud sticking out from the top and bottom of the quadruple ruyi cloud, and only one side is decorated with a small hook cloud (Fig. 9c), some on the left and some on the right.
The costume symbolizes honor, and the flying fish ornament is used as a complementary color for the garment, and its pattern decoration also has a deep meaning. As the most common traditional pattern, moire symbolizes people's ascension and wishful thinking in the feudal society, and is loved by people.
In the flying fish ornamentation, the Sihe Ruyi cloud pattern is used as a shading decoration, which is distributed in the blank part of the ornament.
Ruyi moire is often combined with animal patterns to be used in clothing or utensils, and the four-way ruyi moire symbolizes auspiciousness in all directions, implying a lifetime of good luck, auspiciousness and health.
The pattern combined with the seawater river pattern symbolizes the unity of heaven and earth, and at the same time implies the concept that the ruler is the co-lord of heaven and earth.
The curly and tumbling Ruyi moire is interlaced in the neatly and regularly arranged Jiangya sea water pattern, which not only increases the auspicious fairy spirit, but also strengthens the sense of rhythm and formal beauty.
(4) Flying fish
During the Ming Dynasty, the rulers had strict hierarchical regulations and prohibitions on the use of clothing colors, and the color of clothing had different regulations according to different grades.
"In the second year of Hongwu: the crown clothes of the Shuren are not allowed to use yellow" "The fifth year of Hongwu order, the folk women's dresses are only purple, no gold embroidery, and the robes are purple, green, peach and all light colors, and red, crow green, yellow, and blue silk cloth are not allowed."
The pattern color style of the Ming Dynasty went through two stages: one was the early style of "simple and steady", and the other was the middle and late style of "complex and rich".
Under the social background of prosperous commercial development and open-minded people in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the style of "complex and magnificent" became the characteristic and color orientation of the creation in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.
In the Ming Yan Shenggong fragrant hemp flying fish robe in the collection of the Shandong Museum (Fig. 10), there is a flying fish over the shoulder on the front chest and back of the chest, a red flying fish on the front chest, and a yellow flying fish on the back.
The overall color of the front chest and shoulder flying fish pattern is red, and the blue stripe runs through the python body, and it is unified with gold hooks.
The gold thread not only plays the role of harmonizing and unifying the overall color, but also makes the whole fabric rich in color and bright in tone, adding to the richness of the fabric.
At the bottom of the ornament, along the edge of the color weaving sea water river pattern, blue and white, the overall tone of the pattern is both layered and harmonious.
Third, the cultural connotation of flying fish pattern
Ancient Chinese pattern art is our precious cultural heritage, and it provides an inexhaustible source of inspiration for our art creators.
The pattern modeling of the Ming Dynasty not only pays attention to the beauty of the appearance, but also pays more attention to the meaning of the symbol behind the pattern and the artistic conception it contains, which is worthy of our in-depth exploration.
In the Ming Dynasty, the flying fish pattern is a costume ornament, a symbol of honor, and the rank symbol is the main function of the flying fish pattern.
In addition to satisfying the psychological needs of the wearer, the flying fish pattern also shows people the majesty of imperial power.
"History of the Ming Dynasty: Career Officials" contains: "Jinyi Guard, in charge of guards, arrests, and prisons, is always supervised by honors and relatives, and grace is sent to impermanence...... Serve flying fish clothes, wear embroidered spring knives, and serve left and right. ”
The existence of the official uniform can make up for the purpose that the official uniform cannot achieve, which can not only reward the meritorious ministers, but also will not increase the income of the officials, increase the financial burden of the state, and can also reflect the wisdom of the courtiers, so as to achieve the purpose of encouraging and pacifying.
In the process of development and evolution, the flying fish pattern has been continuously tended to the dragon and python by the original fish pattern, and the status of the flying fish pattern in the Ming Dynasty is second only to the dragon pattern.
The essence of the phenomenon of python and dragon transformation is the ambition to get close to the core of power, and it is a yearning for power.
The change of "turning from a fish to a dragon" also reflects the excellent quality of the ancient scholars, who are down-to-earth and hardworking, and also embodies the beautiful vision of breaking free from shackles and pursuing freedom.
epilogue
The evolution of the flying fish pattern has gone through several dynasties, and the final allegorical pattern has been continuously innovated and developed by integrating the cultures of various regions and foreign cultures.
Its traceability research provides a lot of valuable clues for us to understand this period of history, learn Xi and inherit traditional culture, and study the development process of ancient Chinese patterns.
In today's rapid economic and social development, people's living standards are improving, and they have a higher pursuit of aesthetics, combining traditional culture with modern design.
While understanding and carrying forward the 5,000-year-old history and civilization, Chinese modern design art leads the trend of the times and becomes an international art form.