In the early Ming dynasty under the Hongwu reign, envoys from Japan brought Japanese folding fans to the court as tribute items, which Emperor Taizu (Zhu Yuanzhang, 1328-1398) presented as gifts to his officials. The following ruler, Chengzu (Zhu Di, 1360-1424), was fond of folding fans for their convenience and ordered court craftsmen to imitate Japanese ones. During the Duanwu (Dragon Boat) Festival, court officials would receive fans written with maxims by renowned Hanlin Academicians, their use as if bestowing cultural airs. Under Emperor Xuanzong (Zhu Zhanji, 1399-1435), not only did the palace tradition of presenting folding fans continue, they were also adorned with painting and calligraphy by the emperor. "Bird-and-Flower Painting from the Imperial Brush" is a precious example of a folding fan from the early Ming dynasty court.
Bird-and-Flower Painting from the Imperial Brush
- Emperor Xuanzong (1399-1435), Ming dynasty
- Folding fan, ink and colors on gold-painted paper, 18.5 x 44.8 cm
In the early Ming dynasty, during the Hongwu reign (1368-1398), envoys from Japan brought tribute items to the Chinese court, including folding fans, which the first Ming ruler, Taizu, presented as gifts to officials. In the Yongle reign, Emperor Chengzu (1360-1424) appreciated folding fans for their convenience and ordered craftsmen at his court to imitate them. Then in the Xuande reign under Emperor Xuanzong, folding fans were presented on the Duanwu (Dragon Boat) Festival to officials, marking the arrival of summer and symbolizing the dissemination of courtly airs throughout the land.
This folding fan on a bird-and-flower subject from the brush of the emperor depicts two birds among camellia blossoms on gold-painted paper. The manner of painting follows in the Southern Song (1127-1279) academic style with bright and classical colors. Along with a two-sided fan painting of "Landscape and Figures" by Emperor Xuanzong in the Beijing Palace Museum, this is a rare and precious example of early Ming imperial painting in the folding fan format.
