Porcelain pillows were a part of daily life in ancient times. They also had various decorations as they were put on display.During the Song, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, poems, sonnets, proverbs, and sayings were some of the most popular decorative themes for porcelain pillows.
Having poetry on porcelain pillows in ancient times allowed art to infiltrate daily life and have a subtle influence on people.These porcelain pillows are timeless and reflect the cultural thinking and esthetic consciousness of people at the time. They are packed with literary flavor without losing the intrigue of the life of everyday people.
Octagonal pillow with black calligraphy (Dao De Qing Jing) (Song-Jin dynasty)Wangye Museum
The Qingjing Jing and the Tao Te Ching.
The Qingjing Jing and the Tao Te Ching are important Taoist literary classics. The Tao Te Ching in particular is widely popular and has become a core Taoist teaching.These characters were written on pillows by artisans at the time, and as well as containing spiritual beliefs, they also motivated people.
Ingot-shaped pillow with black calligraphy (Song Dynaty)Wangye Museum
Pound paper and write music, burn incense and read Taoist scriptures.
This style of calligraphy was influenced by Emperor Huizong of Song, with fine strokes and slender hooks that have a syncopated cadence. While some features of the horizontal and vertical hooks have been removed, the overall appearance of the thin, gold body has remained.
Octagonal pillow with black calligraphy and flower pattern (Jin Dynaty)Wangye Museum
Spring wind—plums and peaches blossom in the night. Autumn rain—parasol trees all shed their leaves.
From Song of Long Regret, written by Bai Juyi in the Tang dynasty.
Octagonal pillow with black calligraphy and flower pattern (Jin Dynaty)Wangye Museum
The pillow is a rectangular octagon with black floral decoration on both sides and is inscribed in the center with the quote, "The turtle swims through the lotus leaves and separates the green, the heron perches on the pine branch and breaks the blue."
Round pillow with black calligraphy Round pillow with black calligraphy (Jin Dynaty)Wangye Museum
Dragon Master, Fire Emperor, Bird Official, Human Sovereign.
In the Thousand Character Classic, "Dragon Master" refers to the hero Fuxi, "Fire Emperor" refers to Yan Emperor Shennong, "Bird Official" refers to legendary Chinese sovereign Shao Hao, and the Human Sovereign is one of the legendary Three Sovereigns.The style of the calligraphy seems to have been influenced by Zhi Yong's Thousand Character Essay in Cursive Script and Huai Su's cursive Thousand Character Classic.
Octagonal pillow with black ground, white calligraphy and carved flowers (Jin Dynaty)Wangye Museum
The wind stirring autumn leaves urging on spring flowers with huge waves on the river and every bamboo swaying.
From the Tang poem Wind by Li Jiao. The pillow is a rectangular octagon with a black background and white floral decoration on both sides. The poem is inscribed in the center in white on a black background and the rubbings are still visible.
Bean-shaped pillow with black calligraphy (Jin Dynaty)Wangye Museum
I awake light-hearted this morning of spring, everywhere round me the singing of birds.But now I remember the night, the storm, and I wonder how many blossoms were broken.
From the Tang Dynasty poem A Spring Morning by Meng Haoran, which describes the sweetness and comfort of sleep in spring. The poem and the pillow complement one another.
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