Twenty-four solar terms, one year old divided into four hours, four seasons each march, two solar terms per month, each has its own meaning.
A spring rain descended on the land of China, and unconsciously, the trees and flowers gradually became distinct under the moisture of the rain. Chinese ushered in a spring festival - gu rain. It is the sixth of the twenty-four solar terms and the last of the spring, with the meaning of "rain and a hundred valleys".
Throughout the ages, people have carried out a wealth of folk activities during the rainy season of the valley, in addition to the sacrifice of Cangjie, the eating of toon, the prohibition of killing five poisons, the sacrifice of sea blessings, etc., there is also an activity is to enjoy the flowers. Spring is the best time to see the flowers. If the plum blossom is "dare to be the first in the world", then the peony is "late to fight for spring", before and after the valley rain, it coincides with the blooming of peonies, so there is a proverb of "valley rain three dynasties to see peonies", peonies are also known as "valley rain flowers".
Ming, peony of silk flower book
Peony symbolizes prosperity, auspicious and rich, deeply loved by the Chinese people, the pursuit of a better life, the yearning for prosperity and other feelings on it, in addition to cultivation and ornamentation, peony as an element derived from the typical auspicious pattern - peony pattern, embodied in architecture, stone carvings, wood, painting, ceramics, embroidery and many other aspects, occupies a pivotal position in China's traditional pattern.
Yutang Fuguitu, Wunan Tang, Xu Xi
In the early Ming Dynasty, the red double phoenix wore a peony-patterned sunflower-shaped plate
As early as the Qin and Han Dynasties, peony began to be used as a medicine, and by the time of the Tang Dynasty, it ushered in a grand bloom. The peony flowers are large and colorful, and the fragrance is strong, which makes the people of Chang'an mesmerized. The Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi praised in the poem "Appreciating Peonies": "Only peonies are truly national colors, and the capital is moved when the flowers bloom." In just a few words, he wrote about the flow of peonies and the grandeur of viewing flowers in Chang'an City.
Such a graceful and luxurious flower, such a popular national preference, natural peony pattern is also popular, and with the curly grass pattern, gradually developed a typical paradigm solidified into the traditional Chinese decorative pattern.
Tang, yellow glaze engraved peony pattern ruyi shaped pulse pillow
On the other hand, the peony pattern was also absorbed by the treasure phase pattern that prevailed in the Sui and Tang dynasties. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Land of China is frequently in turmoil, the people are not happy, people have put their spirits in religious beliefs, whether it is the Southern Dynasty or the Northern Dynasty, the great revival of Buddhism, and the decorative patterns related to Buddhist culture have been unprecedentedly sought after, symbolizing solemn, beautiful, generous Baoxianghua patterns gradually became popular.
With the development of decorative arts, especially after the Tang Dynasty, peony patterns gradually developed into the theme flowers of Baoxianghua. The treasure flower that absorbs the elements of the peony petal pattern has an abnormal brilliance and has become a symbol of the prosperity and blossoming of the Tang Dynasty, and is popular in various gold and silverware, stone carvings, fabrics, embroidery and other handicrafts. Unfortunately, Baoxianghua also fell to the altar with the disappearance of the Tang Dynasty, but people's enthusiasm for peonies remained undiminished.
Tang, three-color plus sapphire phase pattern wash, Chicago Museum collection
Tang, three-color stamped treasure phase pattern three-legged plate, Shenzhen Museum collection
During the Song Dynasty, China's traditional art culture developed to a peak period. The Song people's obsession with peonies is by no means inferior to that of the Tang people, who regarded peonies as the national flower. The world's first monograph on peony flowers, "Yuezhong Peony Products", was written during the Northern Song Dynasty. In the final Song Dynasty, there were as many as thirteen monographs on peony species and cultivation methods. Peony is used in almost all decorative fields, so it has been crowned the title of "Flower of Wealth". Literati and inkers often integrated it into their paintings and became one of the representative themes of flower and bird painting.
Song, "Peony Diagram", fan page, collection of the Palace Museum
On porcelain, the content of peony patterns is also more and more abundant, not only there are carvings, paintings, etc., but also with plant patterns, animal patterns or character patterns, making flowers appear more natural and lively. For example, the combination of phoenix and peony is called "phoenix wearing peony", "phoenix peony" and "phoenix play peony".
Song, Hutian kiln shadow Qingfeng wear peony Liao gold bowl
The phoenix is the legendary king of the birds, and the peony is the leader of the flowers, and their combination has the joy of all things, the greeting of the birds, and the meaning of spring in the four seas. The earliest use of the bird pattern can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, but it was the bronze ware of the Shang Zhou Dynasty that made it flourish. Just as the so-called "Heavenly Destiny Xuan Bird, descending to give birth to the merchant", the merchants used the phoenix bird as a totem and carved it into exquisite bronzes, while the Zhou people of "Fengming Qishan" further refined on the basis of the previous generation. However, the good times did not last long, the Western Zhou Dynasty collapsed, the ceremony collapsed, and the phoenix bird pattern flew out of the bronze stage, but also ran to a wider space, and finally transformed into the phoenix appearance that people see today.
Northern Song Dynasty, Yaozhou kiln blue glaze engraved flower roll branch peony pattern bottle, Osaka City Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Japan
The porcelain decoration style of Liao and Jin was influenced by the Han Dynasty, and flowers or flowers and birds were a prominent feature of this period, and peony patterns occupied an important position. The peony ornaments created by carving, scratching, printing and painting show different styles.
Liao, three-color folded branches peony pattern discount plate
In the Yuan Dynasty, the porcelain industry developed rapidly, and the successful firing of blue and white and glazed red made peony ornamentation one of the most common ornaments of blue and white porcelain at that time. The technique is mainly to place the peony in the center of the vessel, supplemented by the long winding of the branches and leaves, forming a multi-level pattern from top to bottom, showing a ring- shaped, band-shaped or flaky peony pattern.
Yuan, blue and white tangled flowers with lid plum vase, collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The decorative themes on the porcelain of the Ming Dynasty are more abundant than those of the Yuan Dynasty, and plants, animals, scenery and characters are readily available. Flowers have an absolute advantage in porcelain, and peonies are mainly manifested as tangled branches, mostly combined with other flowers, showing that the flowers are undefeated in all seasons. In terms of painting techniques, craftsmen began to use the water-splitting technique, with the appearance of double-line outline filling, and pay attention to the yin and yang changes of the pattern. The peony pattern appears more three-dimensional, and the depiction of the picture is more delicate.
Ming Wanli, multicolored peony plate, collection of the Osaka Municipal Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Japan
In the Qing Dynasty, peony was still one of the main flowers in Qing Dynasty porcelain painting, and the glaze pattern of the porcelain produced in the Kang Yongqian period could be described as magnificent and exquisite. The Kangxi Dynasty's original "double peony" is the most distinctive (the so-called "double peony": two petal heads are separated above the main flower of the peony flower, separated on both sides like the horns of the cow), and this painting method has very distinct characteristics of the times. The tangled peony and the folded peony are more mature, and in the glaze color, whether it is blue flowers or colored flowers, the picture is sparse and full of vitality.
Qing Kangxi, blue and white tangled branches peony pattern phoenix tail zun
Today, decorative utensils with peony flowers as the main body are still infiltrated in the creation of various crafts with their rich meanings and traditional aesthetic values.
The decorative arts with the theme of peony, whether it is aesthetic value or allegorical characteristics, are rich in the spiritual characteristics of traditional Chinese culture - China's appreciation of flowers is not only as simple as viewing flowers, but will be attached to personal aesthetic orientation and value pursuit, reflecting the viewer's moral belief and personality ideals.
Literati appreciate flowers, from which they experience the rise and fall of the times and personal encounters; the people look at flowers, look at food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and live a stable life. Peony not only expresses the luxurious meaning of "great wealth and nobility", but also carries the yearning for a better life, so whether it is an ancient emperor or an ordinary person, no matter what period and dynasty, people have a special love for peony, and everyone has found their own "a flower" spiritual sustenance.