The author grew up in Tongling, Anhui Province, the bronze capital of China, and has been a collector since he was a student, especially in all kinds of bronzes. Today, we disclose a "Copper Aromatherapy Furnace for Riding a Donkey" for Tibetan friends to appreciate, in order to describe my own cognition of this collection, aiming to explore the cultural connotation and folk tales in it.
The donkey aromatherapy stove was purchased more than a decade ago in an antique shop in Tongling City, and according to the owner, the collection was auctioned at an auction in the provincial capital. The height of the aromatherapy burner is 25 cm, the length is 23 cm, and the total weight is 980 grams (pictured). An old man with a long beard sits across a lively donkey. (It is a movable aromatherapy cover, which can be taken off freely)
Incense burning in an aromatherapy oven is one of the ways to add elegance to the room. The aromatherapy burner has a perfect shape, not only an incense utensil, but also a work of art. The incense burner has been one of the pleasures of the literati since ancient times, and the collectors love it with joy. And in ancient times, the most particular thing in the home was to burn incense to edify the elegant environment and cultivate sentiment. From the Western Han Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, with a history of more than 1,900 years, incense burners have always played a role for people to use and enjoy. During the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court had already begun to use the luxurious process of copper gilt or cloisonné enamel.
The author's bronze incense burner figure portrait has a kind face, eyes are attentive, smiling, clothes, hair knots, hands and feet are vividly depicted, and the figure is taken down, and the donkey's abdomen is hollow, which should be used as incense. The whole body of the donkey has a sense of agility, exquisite craftsmanship, and the whole body has the residue of mud and gold falling off, according to the copper quality and the degree of age of the utensils, it is speculated that this piece of copper incense burner for people riding a donkey should be an item in the middle of the Qing Dynasty.
The author has seen a variety of different shapes of copper incense burners in the antique market in various places, and I have also seen a few pieces of people riding donkey incense burners in several Tibetan friends' homes, the size difference is not big, but the faces of the donkey riding characters are not the same, and the back of the sitting statue has a window, and I got this person riding a donkey copper incense burner, there is no window on the back, and the faces of the figures are not the same, so it is difficult to determine which ancient god is the figure of this person riding a donkey statue.
Looking at this artifact, we can't help but understand the relationship between donkeys and literati, which is very interesting. People riding donkeys also have a unique artistic conception, It is worth reminiscing,
The sound of a donkey is often considered to be rude and vulgar, hoarse and cracked, and unbearable. The idiom "donkey barking and dog barking" appeared during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which was used to describe the poetry and poor language.
According to the legend of the older generation, in ancient China, riding a donkey sideways was a relatively common way to travel. For example, the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. There is a poem of "riding a donkey sideways to walk the world", describing his uninhibited image. In addition, other literati such as Du Fu and Bai Juyi may have had similar descriptions or records. Through the image of these literati riding a donkey sideways, they expressed their yearning for a free and leisurely life.
The classic story of people riding a donkey from ancient times to the present is the most heard Zhang Guolao, he is a typical example of the myths and legends of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, and many folk prints and story books can often see the Eight Immortals and Zhang Guo are old enough to ride a donkey. Zhang Guolao is one of the Eight Immortals of ancient Chinese myths and legends, and has a wide influence on Chinese folk, and he is a real historical figure.
According to records, Zhang Guo was a native of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), his real name was Zhang Guo, and because he was very old, people added the word "old" to his name to show respect for him. According to legend, he has long been hidden in the west of the mountain. Back and forth between Jinfen. Tang Wu Zetian was hundreds of years old. Then Heaven had sent an envoy to summon him, that is, to feign death. Later generations saw him living in the mountains of Hengzhou. He often rode a white donkey upside down, traveling tens of thousands of miles a day. When resting, the donkey is folded and hidden in a towel box. He was once summoned to Beijing by Tang Xuanzong, performed all kinds of spells, and was awarded the silver Qingguanglu doctor. It is a Taoist immortal known to Chinese women and children. Zhang Guo's old miracles are known to women and children.
"Eight immortals cross the sea, each showing their magical powers". The story of the Eight Immortals can be described as a household name, Zhang Guo is old in the Eight Immortals, with green temples and bright teeth, and an old dragon clock, often riding a white donkey in and out, and riding it every time he falls down. Therefore, there is a folk saying after the break: "Zhang Guo is riding a donkey upside down - look back." According to "Xuetao Novel", there was an old Confucian in Shu in the early Ming Dynasty, who once wrote a poem for "Zhang Guolao Riding a Donkey Upside Down":
How many people in the world don't know this old man.
It's not about riding a donkey upside down, looking back at everything.
This poem is very distinctively written, and the words "this old man" are naturally and kind. The best thing is that "instead of riding a donkey upside down, everything looks back." In two sentences, using the special phenomenon of Zhang Guolao riding a donkey upside down, he expressed the views of "it is difficult to buy money and look back", "the past is not forgotten, and the future is the teacher", inspiring people to be good at summing up experience in order to move forward better.
The ancient poem "Suiyuan Poems" also recorded a poem entitled "Riding a Donkey":
Zhang Guo rode a donkey upside down, I don't know why?
For fear of looking ahead, forgetting the way you came.
The poems praising Zhang Xianguo Lao can't help but remind people of the following thoughts:
1. The act of riding a donkey upside down shows Zhang Guolao's unique personality and mind. He doesn't care about what others think and acts in his own way, which shows that only a person with a big heart can turn a blind eye to criticism and wander the world according to his own way of thinking.
2. The act of riding a donkey upside down also reflects the wisdom of Zhang Guolao. He understands that life is composed of a period of process, and after going through a certain road, he needs to consciously look back at his footprints, summarize his own lessons and lessons, and make his future life path better.
3. This story also tells us that there will be successes and failures in life, and there will be experiences and lessons. Only by constantly reviewing and summing up can we learn from the lessons of the past and make fewer mistakes in the future.
4. This story also reminds us not to lose the courage and motivation to move forward by dwelling too much on the past. We should use the lessons of the past as spiritual wealth to create the future.
Therefore, inspired by Zhang Guolao's story: we must have our own ideas and ways of action, have the courage to try new things, have the courage to face difficulties and setbacks, and at the same time, we must continue to sum up the past experience, keep moving forward, create our own future, and develop in the collection of all kinds of art industry.
By looking at this artifact, a text is triggered to let us understand the ancient figures, so who is the figure on this person riding a donkey incense? The author is not allowed to give an answer, but also asks the experts of the museum and the Tibetan friends to come up with an objective answer that conforms to the facts.
Author: Guo Xuejun