spscln n E $ HIB IT ION

O F A N C I E N T C H I N E S E PA I N T I N G S .

INTRODUCTION .

The history of the art of all Eastern Asia centres

about that of the Chinese Empire . Japan , Co rea . Mon

golia , Thibet, and , to a less extent. Nepaul, Turk i stan ,

Burmah , Siam, and Tonquin , a great ci rcle of neighbo ring na tions , have , for centuries , drawn inspi ration fromthe a rt and culture of the centra l power . Even uponIndia and Persia it would be possible to prove a strongChinese reaction . n Of an independent. influence fromIndia , it must be sa id tha t, though strong and specia las regards the subjects of Buddhist art, it has had muchless cfieet than the Chinese upon the form of that art in

all these Asiatic countries. For ti .em China occup ies theplace which G reek a rt did , at the time of Christ, fo 1 themany peoples grouped about the Mediten anean Sea .

Chinese a 1 t, even in its religious forms , has been preeminently the art of pa inting. I n India on the southwest, and in Corea on the northeast

,the finest specimens

of Buddhist art took form in sculpture . But in China ,after the sixth century at least , Chinese work finds itstruest power in the a rt of the brush , of delineation , of in

scription , of the blending of thought with the pictoria l

suggestions of na ture . Primarily , it is the art of theha 1mony of the drawn line . It could thus represent inthe days of its greatest fa ith many situa tions and feel ingstha t lay be\ ond the reach of Buddhist expression else

ANC'I ENT CH INESE PAINTI NG’S'

.

where . Drama tic incidents, the relief of grouped figures

aga inst landscape backgrounds, the related idea li sms of

man and of na ture , the imaginative suggestions of color ,the a tmosphere and clouding and l ight in transcendent

aspects of the world and of heaven , all these were opento it a s never to themeagre severities of sculpture on stone

facades.

$

J The art of Japan , in many respects the most sensitiveflower tha t sprang from this continenta l stem, combined the

best traditions , both of Korean sculpture and of Chinesepa inting . But in pa inting it must be admi tted that therehave been few supreme forms in Japan which were not

more strongly and simply used in ea rl ier Chinese models .

I n the Tosa and Sa o schools we find the closes t approx imation to a purely nationa l manner. But in Buddh istpa inting especia lly , the islanders closely followed conti

nental influences. Thus a study of Chinese a rt i s an

essentia l introduction to the complete understanding of

Japanese .

The earliest form of Chinese pictorial art which we can

trace , and wh ich belongs a t least to the period from the

second century before Christ to the fourth or fifth after ,is secula r in subject, depicting in outl ine or in silhouette

the l ives and doings of k ings and their subjects , the por

tra i ts of grea t sages and sta tesmen , much as we find it

carved on Assvriun rel iefs or the walls of Egyptiantemples .

From the fifth century onward , th is secular art, bound

up wi th the ideals of pure Confucianism, w as for the most

pa rt supplanted by the aesthetic cla ims of the rapidly

Sp1 eadingBuddhist religion . The greatest Chinese masters

of the sixth , seventh, and e ighth centuries were pa inters

of Buddhist a ltar-pieces , and decorators of the wa lls of

large temples . The culmination of this art was at the

INTR0D U0TI ON .

beginning of the eighth century , when the emperors of

the Tang dynasty had extended thei r sovereignty nearly as

far west as Arabia , and had established a system of

administration , of competitive examinations , an eager

scholarship , and simple , lofty idea ls , such as become

therea fter the crowning light and the centra l note of

Chinese culture .

But a third grea t period of Chinese pa inting , tha t in

which i t rose to its culmina tion, was the glory of the Sung

dynasty from the eleventh centurv to the thirteenth. This

was the cri tica l age of Chinese culture . It is not gener

a lly understood in the West tha t the greatest minds of

Sung schola rs , statesmen , poets , artists , priests , all were

a iming to free their creative individua l i ty from the dead

eningformulae of Confucian tradition . All previous cen

turies are but prepa ratory to this suddenly awakeningself-consciousness ; all subsequent ones but a registry of

the melancholy results of its final fa i lure . But during its

brief continuance i t blossomed into a l ife of illumination ,analogous to tha t of Athens under Pericles , and Florence

under the Medici . For a moment all tha t is best and

solid in Chinese tradition blends with the glow of Bud

dhist idea ls , and with a new appreciation of individua lity

in man , and as reflected into nature . The key to this$

conception was a new philosophy which fused together the

h itherto separate principles and cults of Confuciani sm,

Taoism, and Buddhism, into a single new synthetic system of ideal ism, domina ted by poetry and symbolism,

which saw na ture as the mi rror of spirit, which prizedindiv iduality as the key of both character and crea tion ,

and which drove all the arts and sciences and codes of

sta tesmanship abreast along a broad pa thway of new ex

periment and of free reconstruction .

It was thus at this mostgenia l period of Chinese culture

ANCIEN T CHINESE PAINTINGS.

that Buddhism in its highest positive stimulating potency

came nearest to the hearts of the people . I t did so by

enshrining itself within the temple of poetry , and amid themusic of line and color . The bare abstraction of a beavco ly harmony , which Confucius had asserted w ithout inter

preta tion. was ripened by it into a clear recogni tion of

harmony as the l ife of the unfold ing spi ri t . It is an ori

euta lHegel ianism. It mak es art the true type of l ife . It

sees infi nite analogy and symbol and co-operation through

out the kingdoms of crea ted form. For i t there is no abyss

between man and nature,or between these two and the

divine l ife of the sa ints . There is no subtle suggestion in

the spring of tree forms , no massive o r forbidding strengthin rocky glens, no magic of the union between wa terfa lls

and mists , which should not become to contemplation con

crete ca tegories of the spiritua l life at which religion a ims .

For such transcendent conceptions the art of poetry a lonewould seem adequate ; yet such is the flexibil ity and sub

tletyoforienta l painting tha t it, too , dares invade this region

0 1 1 the w ings of its i ridescent color and buoyant l ine .

But within the church i tself the most remarkable use of

pa inting sprang from the conception and the needs of the

ao -called exoteric Buddhism. The difference between

the southern exoteric and agnostic Buddhism, so frs

quently described , and the mystica l evolutionary Church

of the N orth , which has inspired the loftiest li tera ture ,sta tesmanship, and nature-appreciation through the whole

East, is very great and rea l . The former dea lt w ith man

only , wi th a manhood that i s to be feared and despised ,w ith a salvation tha t is itself a nega tion of all va lues .

The latter dea l t with the undeveloped God la tent in man ,with society as a perfectible brotherhood, wi th na ture as

an equa lly significant product of div ine spiri t, with art as

the expression of that hidden sympathy between na ture

INTRODUCTI ON.

and the soul. with worship as the organiza tion of a l ife

ofperfect love and benevolence .

Whether the former be the primitive sta te of Buddhism,

as some schola rs assert. is ra ther a matter for historians

t han for the student of orienta l cul ture . Their procedure

would be analogous to tha t of an Asia tic student of

Christianity who , having a scerta ined from meagre docu

ments the condition of the Church in i ts first century ,should thereupon disrega rd the wea lth and power of its

subsequent evolution, i ts part in European history , its

capaci ty for adapta tion to the infini te needs of human

ity , as so much spurious perversion and accumulation .

Christiani ty and Buddhism as well are all tha t they have

become .

Two grea t schools of this lofty esoteric rel igion ha ve

ex isted in China and iF J apan ; one relying chiefly upon

works and sacraments , the other upon contemplation .

The former i s sti ll represented in Japan by the Tendai

and Shingon sects . These preserve a ri tua l prescribed by

superior intelligence as the key both to knowledge and topower . It a ims at more than sa lvation, the human sa int

ship of the Arha t , namely , at the esta te of a Bodhisa ttwa ,a transcendent love which desires self-development solely

as a means to the whole world ’ s sa lva tion . The latter

conce ives of thought as the true solvent of th ings , and

out of i ts potent depths would recrvstallize the world .

I ts sa ints are Rakan , or Arha t , men who in the flesh bva life. of this inner absorption ha ve won power overnature , over the w i lls ofmen, and of the elementa l world .

For them the se -ca lled magic is only an incident of thesuperior potency of thought . I n spi te of i ts benevolentuse , a sl ight tinge of selfishness a ttaches to their con

tented isola tion .

The pa intings which a re to be described in this cata

8 AN CIEN T CHINESE PAI N TINGS .

logue were executed in this golden period of art for theZen sect in China , whence they were brought by i ts p ioneers to their first temples erected in Japan , wherein thevhave since rema ined . They represent the magica l deeds

of the grea t Rakan,in contempla tion , in transfigura tion ,

in thei r power over na ture , anima l s , and men , in their

benevolence even to deni zens of the lower world , in thei rcommunica tion w ith the powers of the spi ritua l spheres

,

especiallv with the great'

Bodhisattwa . Thus we have

here a most interesting record of wha t was contempo

raucously believed of the mystica l practices of these

saints .

The subject of the Five Hundred Rakan , a favorite onein the Zen sect, is variously expla ined as referring to a

group of apostles , who were the persona l d isciples of

Buddha , or to the concourse of prelates who composed

the first northern council , or as a fortui tous colloca tion of

the typica l deeds of Rakan , made under the influence ofChinese imagination . I am inclined to the la tter v iew .

Such pictures were used to hang about temple or lectureha ll on specia l ceremonia l occasions , either to stimulate

the neophyte ’s aspi ra tion toward Rak anship, or to increase

the potency of his contempla tive prayer .

This set of pa intings has been a ttributed va riouslyfrom early days in Japan , now to the pen of Zengetsu

Da ishi , now to the hand of Ririomin . The former , a cel

ebrated priest , pa inter , and poet, lived at the end of the

Tang dynasty in the tenth century . His style has moreof indiv idua l strength than of idea l beauty , and belongs

to one who is essentially a crea tor in a period of transi

tion . That i s one reason why $ do not believe these pa int

ings to date from his epoch . Also at that day there was1 10 such rich trea tment of landscape background as these

suggest .

I 00 UCTION. 9

li ldomla , ou the other hand, was one of the r ipest and

broadest characters in that most crea tive and individual

isticperio dofChinese history , the Sung dynasty . Though

never a priest, and with all the knowledge and ideals of

the typica l Chinese gentleman behind him, he combines

with these a reverence for and insight into esoteric Bud

dhism, which enable him to become the greatest pictorial

expoueutof its thought . He thus stands at the meeting

point of the two currents in Chinese genius , and fuses

into a single conception the wea lth den’

ved from both .

Though we are ignorant of the da tes ofRi riomin’s birth

and death , we can roughly conj ecture tha t he lived from

about 1 050 to 1 1 1 5 of our era . I t is known that he took

hismaster’s degree in the year 1 075 , from which time to

1 1 01 be discharged honorably his officia l duties at the

Chinese court. For a long time he was reader and cen

sor for all books offered for publica tion. During this in

terval be ranked high among the advanced thinkers of theage, being an intimate friend of the historian Shiba , thepoet Toba , and the reformer Oansek i . His le isure be

devoted to pa inting ; and at first , like a true Chinese

gentleman , he cared most for landscape , flowers , and

horses . Also he loved to compose complete scenes from

Chinese pa lace life . I n the expression of character , emotion, and action, he was considered supreme . Later inlife he studied the idealistic philosophy and mystic practices of Taoism. He a lso became intima te with Buddhist

priests , who stimula ted his imagination wi th the vast

wealth of their spiritua l conceptions , of whose splendors

be determined to render h imself the exponent . He studied

the masterp ieces of an earlier age, especia lly the incomparable Buddhist pa intings by Godosbi , which were the

crown of t he Tang dynasty ; but his previous tra ining

enabled him $0 contribute a k nowledge of the fulness

ANCI EN T CH I NESE PAIN TI NGS .

of na ture , a power of expressive drawing , and a delica teplay of colors under the effect of atmosphere , before 11 1 1known in religious art. I n the year 1 1 0i , he retired to

his mounta in villa of Riominzan , The Mounta in of the

Dragon’s Brightness ,$

which he had bought in the year1 078 , and where now without interruption he devoted

himself to the loftiest art. His rea l name was Hak uj i ,and his literary appella tion Korin but the title by which

he is best known in history , Ririomin , or in modern manda rin , Li Lung Ming , was derived from tha t of his heloved retreat. Of his persona l ta stes we know somethingfrom contemporary record . The book Hodenshu says

of him,

$ Whenever the wea ther was good , he went out

wi th a flask of wine , and spent the day sitting on rock s,and ca lmly gazing at running streams .

$

Guahin says,He extended his hands widely to get hold of bells, urns,

and other old a ltar utensils , with which he decorated his

whole house .

$

The aesthetic character of Ririomin’

s work is perfection

of style , a ripe mastery over elegance of line , an infi

nitely varying , unexpected spacing and massing , which

remind us of nothing somuch as the Ph idian ma sterp ieces .

This qua li ty of synthetic l ine is dominant in the work of

his pupils and followers , and origina tes a school of Bud

dhist pa inting which lasts for a century , and then, passing

over into Japan, is transmitted to the Takuma fami ly .

The question now a rises , can we believe the present series

to be from the hand of Ririomin himself $ At first sight

i t appears that the pictures are not. all by the same hand ,and that they are unequa l in meri t . Also , in some , the

composition appears to be finer than the execution. Espec

ially in the back grounds do we notice a fa lling off in

power . Therefore , a l though we know tha t Ririomin did

execute a series of the five hundred Rakan , we cannot

I TI$ODUCT$ON .

believe It identica l with this. $ et the conception , the

color, the line, and themethods of expression are so close

to those of themaster. and are so characteristic of Sung

work in the twelfth century , that we can be sure we have

here a very important work of the Ririomin school . I t i s

even possible that a few of the finest specimens are from

his own hand, and it is probable tha t many others a re

founded upon his des igns . We sha ll be w ithin the limits

of safety in regarding this series as made up of works bv

his followers, and executed at different times during the

course of the twelfth century . A fading inscription in

gold upon one of the pictures registers the fact that they

were presented to a Chinese temple in memory of the

ancestors of the Kio fami ly in the year 1 1 75 . This has

been considered the date of presentation merely ; but, i f

my estima te be correct , it may well be that of the execu

tion of some of the specimens. I t is sa id tha t they werebrought to Japan by a Chinese Zen priest in the yea r1 246 . It is quite poss ible tha t gaps in the origina l series

were filled at tha t time , as it i s clea r tha t later a few

specimens of Ming work were added . It was in thethirteenth century that the first grea t Zen monasteries o f

Japau were founded , and the Zen pictoria l school of Rir iomin transmitted to the Takuma . These p ictures werepreserved in the temple Kenchop ofKamakura ; a fterwarda t Sowunj i of Odawa ra , whence they were removed bvHideyoshi in 1 590 tesDa ito k uj i in Kioto , where they havebeen treasured unti l the present yea r . This temple

, now

sadly in need of repa 1 t , has been permitted by the Japanese Government to dispose of these pa intings , and hasaccepted the invitation of this museum to give them a firs t

public exhibition to the western world .

Their genera l aesthetic chara cteristics are , first , a grea tva riety a nd wea l th in composition , each embodying a n

ANCI EN T CH INES PAIN TI NGS .

individua l idea of l ine and mass unl ike anything else inthe rea lm of art ; second , the more specia l line -beauty of

drapery in the ma in groups which compose a subtle visua l

music ; third , the fine oppositions of these to landscape

backgrounds w ith their whirl ing , subordinate line -svstemsof tree and cloud ; fourth , the richness and delicacy o f

their color-schemes cut by the cross-pa tches on the Bud

dhist gowns , and glowing from the low toned silks li k e

flowers . The remarkable degree of the ir preserva tionindica tes the reverent ca re with which thev have beenkept . I n few pa intings of thei r age do we rece ive sm

-h

perfect impressions of tone . Consider ing both thei r sub

jcet and their form, we may say tha t few such importa ntrema ins of ea rly Ch inese art have been seen in the West,1nd , indeed , tha t few such ex ist anywhere . Of the series

forty-four arc hung in this exhibition .

ERN QST FRANC ISCO FENOLLOSA ,

Cura tor of the Depa rtment of J apanese

CATALOGUE .

In this picture we have , probably , the intro duction to

the whole series . We a re, so to speak , set in the

midst of a domestic scene in Chinese life ; while

the approach of the five Rakan through the clouds

above seems to bring the subject down to i ts nor

mal connection with ea rth . The specta tor is supposed to be in the a ir with the Rakau, and w i ththa n looking into the distant palace courts below .

I n the nearer apartment, which is bui lt out ove r alotus pond , we see a Buddhist priest officia ting

with incense , standing before an improvised a l tar ,among whose furnishings flowers are the mostimportant feature . Ba ck of the priest bend inreverence two Chinese gentlemen , ev idently headsof the family , wi th whom are two ladies wi thhands ra ised in prayer , and a nurse with a baby inher a rms . I t is not unna tural to suppose this arepresentation of the fami ly of the donor of thepictures , probably of the Kio family before mentioned. The apartment seems to be tha t of a

palace ra ther than a temple , and the gathering one

for the periodica l worship of ancestors ; but theincident itself wonderfully illustrates tha t peculia r

,

brief, and fertile period in Chinese history, when

a ll tha t was best in Chinese life blended wi th thereverence of Buddhist idea ls . Beh ind the ladiesand in front of a screen pa inted wi th a landscape

,

two figures approach , one apparently a bea rded

ANCIEN T CH INESE PAIN TINGN.

philosopher, who looks w ith some doubt upon the

unusua l ceremony which his younger compan ion

expla ins . I n the ha ll beyond , servants are pre

pa ring a feast on a long a lta r- l ike table set aga inst

the wa l l in front of elabora te pa intings of the

Rak an themselves . We may conjecture the sig

nificance of these pa intings to be that the owner of

the pa lace has constructed an apartment in which

the spiri ts of the sa ints sha ll consider themselves

over the most welcome guests . The piety of this

thought and the blending which it suggests between

human fami ly life and the full commun ion of the

sa ints , is beautiful and sign ificant . The faces of

the rea l Rakan , who sweep to their hosts on therapid clouds of thought , are strong and portra it

l ike .

llere are the five Rakan in relaxation ; the three

above si tting on a rock in a bamboo grove,the two

below rega rding the treasures of an itinerant Arabmerchant . Of those sea ted , one holds in his handtablets of scripture , another handles idly hisrosary , and the third , l ike St. Francis , wa tches

lovingly the fl ight of his $ little brothers ,$the

spa rrows , among the w inged bamboo leaves . The

reposeful curves of this horizonta lly disposed group

contra st with the fan- l ike spring of the stra ight

bamboo stems , and with the vertica l lines of the

standing figures by which the feeling of the stemsis prolonged below . To European consciousness ,the upper ha lf of the picture , w ith its fine rel ief of

heads aga inst the far-away ri’

ver background ,would seem complete ; yet this artist has known

how to weld the passage into a larger whole con

Ca lTALOG’ UE’

.

sistent with the upright length of the picture .

This radica l qua l i ty in the standing Rakan i s inten

sified by the red , black , and luminous green of

the ir garments , which stand out aga inst the quiet ,pea rly tones of the robes above .

Those travellers in Japan who are fami l iar with the

legend of Benten , the dragon-goddess of the sea ,

who haunts the cave at the foot of the promontoryof Enoshima . will he astonished to see th is mysti

cal trea tment of a simi lar thought in an old Chinesepa inting . Four of the Rakan , accompanied by a

Bodhisa ttwa and an elementa l a ttendant , drifta cross space i n the hea rt of a fiery cloud , through

whose rifts are seen gl impses of the savage coa st

with i ts blue -gray sky . From a cave in the per

pend icular rock below them issues the flood of a

subterranean tide , tossing its freed fury into scr

pentine crests , amid whose commotion sits the

fifth Rak an in trance , l ike a sculptured pyramid ,on the outswept base of his flowing robes , dignifiedas a Buddha , w i th deep breath , the body swayinglightly backwa rd , head thrown forwa rd , handsdrooping in the lap l ike a flower ; while aga inst thetranscendent l ines of its drapery plays the counterpoint of a great white serpent-god , who, risingfrom the froth at the Rak an’

s side , leans lovinglythe bulk of his silvery body aga inst the latter ’sback , and , ra i sing his neck in a fine curve

,gazes

upward from lowered head into his master’s placidcountenance . A soft halo beh ind the Rakansoftens the colors of the rock with its translucentdisc , which at o rcc proves the Buddhahood immanent in the man , and, set in the very angle of the

ANCI EN T CHI NESE PAINTIN J -S'

.

ca ve roof, blends , wha t would otherwise be the

ha rshness of its l ines , with the upper and the lower

groups . The sweep of drapery in the foremost

Rakan of the cloud , the deep purples and blacks

and stone blues which support the ma ssive brown

head of the figure behind him, and the classic

poise of the figure with the elementa l , strengthen

both in l ine and in color the supreme qua l ity of

the transfigured Rakan , and render this picturehardlv short of the power and beauty of Ririomin

at his greatest .

Here the Rakan are rel ieved in l ight aga inst the gloom

of a wild glen . Four of this compactly balanced

group are engaged in specia l prayer , whose potency

brings from the hell of desire , a Preta , or hungryspirit, whose emacia ted form, brea thing flame from

i ts mouth , bends in humble acceptance of the ricewhich the centra l Rakan doles with a ladle from

his alms-bowl . Doubtless this is s ome grea t soulworthy of such mystic favor , though temporarily

bound to the horrors of the purga tory where it ex

piates some sin of excess . The a ttention of thosein prayer seems riveted upon the bowl , as i f therice , which slips through the Preta

’s gaunt fingers ,requi red for his use some demateria l izing charm.

Behind the group stands the sweet figure of a boyin a blue-black dress, who , leaning hi s head aga instthe rock , a ids the ha rmonic rhythms of the chant bytapping on a small golden bell . The amethystand chrysoprase and pale porphyry of the centra lfigure , passing into topaz yellow and the cherry fireof opa ls, burn aga inst the black masses of angula r

rock , and the ta ll brown pine wh ich seems to shoot

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ANCI EN T CH INESE PAIN TINGS .

the bamboo grove are characteristi c of Chinese

ga rdens . The play of cloud through all parts of

the p icture , as in many others of the series , is an

accompaniment of the superna tura l act, and a lso

serves to blend the masses of the composition .

Aesthetically the greatest qua l ity of the pa inting

i s an undulating, aspi ring , flame- l ike system of

l ines , which , rooted in the angular , gravish , humanmasses in the lower left corner , courses a long thel ine of the censer , swells through the liv ingcurves

of the Bodhisattwa’

s ra iment, and whirls into the

emera ld and ruby of the upper Rakan , where i t

meets the lapping tongues of the descending clouds .

The vertica l l ines of the vermilicn columns, though

broken , seem to hold this upwa rd motion as in a

frame . The draw ing and the characterization of

the scholars , especially in the heads , is not un

worthv of a Holbein , or a D iirer , and suggests thepow er of Chinese portra it pa inting a t its ripest .

The dramatic incident i s here patent the transfiguration of one of the five swept up from the wildness

of earthy tree and cloud into the soft descending

clouds of heaven , where the very lines of his gauzy

drapery seem to be lengthened into curves of sn

pernatural beautv , while from his head issues a

slight spray of a spiritual substance l ike water,which separa ting into two streams , follows the

div ine grace and benignity of movement of the

hands , nea r which they break into the a i r in fingers

of spray . The angularity and rough curva ture of

the figures on ea rth , the strength of drawing in the

rocks , and especia lly in the gnarled tree , the leap

of the waterfa ll , the fine preserva tion of the lower

CATALOG UE .

part of the picture , and the jewel-l ike intrusion of

the two small passages of red, enter notably into

the striking originalitv and impression of this

work .

This represents the five Rakan crossing a turbulentstream,

—one upon a reed , one upon his straw hat,one upon a black cloak , one upon his staff, and the

fifth upon a tree trunk . A strong w ind playing on

the sa ils of their ample ga rments drives them

a long through a moving medium of mingled cloud

and sea , and twists up the folds a nd patches of

their draperies into knotted and snaky line systems,

which open the eve to the possibil ity of violent

rhvthms as pure and individua l and crea tive as

those we have learned to understand in the re

pose of classic sculpture . I t is a new species ofpictoria l idea . Only the upper Rakan stands nu

moved amid the tossingmasses of the picture , as

if be accompanied the others , rather through the

benigni ty of his ca lm contemplation , than by the

impact'

of any terrestria l motor . His color , too ,is like an Opa lescent dream ; and the soft grays

of the three below , shot wi th ligh tning jags of

black , serve to throw up into jewel- l ike intensity ,the reds and greens of the lower figure .

Though lacking the solidity of composition , and the

grace and peace of the preceding pictures, thisreal izes a pictoria l idea no less clear and strong .

The amorphous rock masses , and the pre-diluvian

tree seem like splinters from some primeva l world ,and from its i ron coils human figures emerge , asl ife from chaos. The cleft in the centre , where

ANCI EAT CHINESE PAIN TI NGS.

boils a torrent , is as if rent by recent ea rthquak e ;and the angula r unsoftened lines of the garments

hold their place among the rugged surroundings ,and contrast w ith the delicate feminine curves of

the Tenu in , or angel , who descends bea ring a dish

of heavenly flowers to their forbidding sphere , in

the folds of a soft mauve cloud . The unconven

tienni , nervously drawn whirls of this cloud , even

in its softest portions , i s a supreme model for theworld’s designers . There is nothing in Westernart to compare w ith the dragon-l ik e trunk of thea lmost leafless tree . The figure w ith red-brownflesh behind it is a Ten or Deva , beloncr ino l ike

D o $

the angel , to the world of higher elementa l spirits .

Here is another group of the Rakan in repose, watch

ing an Arab trader who presents, in a sha llowbowl , a tree of coral , which seems to become a live

wi th rosy buds at the ends of its branches . Such

a l ight miracle , though it a ttracts the a ttention of

all, seems to be easi ly performed by the singleRakan who prays with one hand on his beads .

The fine figure of a servant behind brings in a

bundle of Scripture rolls , wrapped in a bamboo

covering. To the left of the trader is his beast

of burden . Above , we have a magnificent wild

tree blending w ith an equa lly wi ld sky . The sombre

coloring of the garments in which no red occurs

and the rich tones of the landscape are noticeable

in this work .

1 0. I n this picture the Rakan are grouped about the

rocky pathway to a Buddhist temple , near the

pillar of which stands the figure of a Deva . The

CATALOG’UE’

.

s istent with the upright length of the picture .

This radica l qua l ity in the standing Rakan is interi

si lica by the red , black , and luminous green of

their garments , which stand out aga inst the quiet ,pearly tones of the robes above .

These travellers in Japan who are fami liar with the

legend of Benten , the dragon-goddess of the sea ,

who haunts the cave at the foot of the promontoryof Enosb ima . wil l he astonished to see th is mysti

cal trea tment of a simi lar thought in an old Chinese

pa inting . Four o f the Rakan , accompan ied by a

Bodhisa ttwa and an elementa l a ttendant , drift

across space in the heart of a fiery cloud , through

whose rifts a re seen glimpses of the savage coast

with i ts blue -gray sky . From a cave in the per

pendicular rock below them i ssues the flood of a

subterranean tide , tossing its freed fury into ser

pcntine crests , amid whose commotion sits the

fifth Rak an in trance , l ike a sculptured pyramid ,on the outswept base of his flowing robes , dignifiedas a Buddha , w i th deep brea th , the body swaying

lightly backward , head thrown forward , hands

drooping in the lap l ike a flower ; while aga inst thetranscendent l ines of its drapery plays the counterpoint of a great white serpent-god , who , risingfrom the froth at the Rak an

’

s side , leans lovingly

the bulk of his silvery body aga inst the la tter ’s

back , and , rai sing his neck in a fine curve , gazesupward from lowered head into his master ’s placidcountenance . A soft halo behind the Rakansoftens the colors of the rock with i ts translucentdisc , which at or ce proves the Buddhahood immanent in the nran , and , set in the very angle of the

ANCIEN T CI I I NESE PAINTINoW'

.

cave roof, blends , wha t would otherwise be the

harshness of its lines , with the upper and the lower

groups . The sweep of drapery in the foremost

Rakan of the cloud , the deep purples and blacks

and stone blues which support the massive brown

head of the figure beh ind him, and the classic

poise of the figure with the elementa l , strengthen

both in line and in color the supreme qua l ity of

the transfigured Rakan , and render this picturehardlv short of the power and beauty of Ririonrin

at his grea test .

Here the Rakan are relieved in l ight aga inst the gloom

of a wild glen . Four of this compactly balanced

group are engaged in special prayer , whose potency

brings from the hell of desire , a Preta , or hungry

spirit, whose emaciated form, breathing flame from

i ts mouth , bends in humble acceptance of the ricewhich the centra l Rakan doles with a ladle fromhis alms-bowl . Doubtless this is s ome great soulworthy of such mystic favor , though temporarily

bound to the horrors of the purgatory where i t ex

pietes some sin of excess . The a ttention of thosein prayer seems r iveted upon the bowl , as i f the'

rice , which slips through the Preta’s gaunt fingers ,

required for his use some demateria l izing charm.

Behind the group stands the sweet figure of a boyin a blue-black dress, who , leaning hi s head aga instthe rock , a ids the harmonic rhythms of the chant bytapping on a sma ll golden bell . The amethystand chrysoprase and pa le porphyry of the centra l

figure , passing into topaz yellow and the cherry fireof opals, burn aga inst the black masses of angular

rock , and the ta ll brown pine which seems to shoot

CATALOGUE .

from its stony roots , li k e a rocket , to the top of

the picture , where it bursts into a shower of droop

ing, feathery branches , whence emerges one long

dragon- like a rm to reach to the group below its

sympathetic a id . The play of mysterious cloud

stra ta among the glint of these branches softens

their gloom ; and the curving line of ragged rocks

at the bottom is , perhaps, the most conspicuous ex

ample in a rt of the principle , that a tota l average

line-va lue may be rea l ized in terms of deta ils which

most conspicuously break it .

The subj ect of th is pa inting is one of the most inter

esting in the series . The upper group of figures

consi sts of four Rakan standing in the robes of ful l

priesthood , and of the fifth who has sea ted himselfupon a green throne inlaid with gold lotus , andplaced in the corridor of a temple whose pillars andra i ling are seen behind . There transfigured , he

has pulled aside the bronze skin of his face , as ifi t were a mask , and revea led beneath the luminous

fea tures of the eleven~headed Kwannon . W i th inthe Ra k an this highest of the Bodhisa ttwa has

been tempora ri ly inca rna ted . The figure in front ,holding a golden censer in the act of worship , appea rs to be a Chinese prince robed as a priest .The figure in black behind him is tha t of an ord inarv priest in prayer . The two men in the fore

ground , apparently Chinese philosophers or schola rs ,who hold in their hands an outline portra i t of the

Rakan which they have drawn, seem now to turnawav from hi s manifesta tion in wonder or in seep

ticism. The sma l l boy in front holds an inkstand .

Behind , the water-worn rock of lapis-lazul i and

ANCI EN T CH INESE PAIN TINGS.

the bamboo grove are characteristic of Chinese

gardens . The play of cloud through all parts of

the picture , as in many others of the series , is an

accompaniment of the superna tura l act, and a lso

serves to blend the masses of the composi tion .

Aesthetica lly the greatest quali ty of the pa inting

i s an undula ting, aspi ring , fl ame- l i k e system of

lines , which , rooted in the angula r , grav ish , human

masses in the lower left corner , courses a long thel ine of the censer, swells through the liv ing curves

of the Bodhisattwa’

s ra iment, and whirls into the

emera ld and ruby of the upper Rakan , where i t

meets the lapping tongues of the descending clouds .

The vertica l lines of the vermilicn columns , though

broken , seem to hold this upwa rd motion as in a

frame . The drawing and the characterization of

the scholars , especiallv in the heads , is not nu

worthv of a Holbein , or a D i i rer , and suggests thepow er of Chinese portra it painting a t its ripest .

The dramatic incident is here patent ; the transfigura

tion of one of the five swept up from the wildness

of earthy tree and cloud into the soft descending

clouds of heaven , where the very lines of his gauzy

drapery seem to be lengthened into curves of su

pernatural beauty ,while from his head issues a

slight spray of a spiritual substance l ike water,which sepa ra ting into two streams , follows the

divine grace and benignity of movement of the

hands , nea r which they break into the a ir in fingers

of spray . The angularity and rough curva ture of

the figures on earth,the strength of drawing in the

rocks , and especia lly in the gnarled tree , the leap

of the waterfa ll , the fine preserva tion of the lower

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26 ANCIENT CH INESE PAINTINGS.

The Rakan seem to twine themselves about thetrunk of a gnarled tree in a mounta in chasm

,

through whose gap breaks a distant view of lake

and waterfa ll . But the extraordina ry thingis the

qua li ty of the atmosphere , clear and deep , shotwi th spi ral ly ascending clouds , and cut wi th bands

of light-like pa ths traversing all space , uponwhich are hurrying winged bat-like elementa l

spirits as messengers , carrying in the ir hands

each a casket. One of these lines descends and

ends wi th the group of the Rakan . The beautyof this mystica l suggestion of space and cloud

and magnetic ray i s sta rtl ing but i t is a revelation

'

to see represented in Chinese pa inting,eight

hundred years old,a recognized fact of mysti c in

tercommunication in a manner much like tha t

asserted so posi tively by modern theosophists

and actually cla imed as visible by ela irvovants.

S itting before this mi ra cle , and forgetting the grand

eur of those tha t have preceded , i t seems for themoment to surpass all prev ious conceptions of

religious beauty and sublimi ty . Four of the

Rakan , with two Deva attendants , stand at the

bottom i n symmetrica l groups of three . Thecentral Rakan has been lifted into Space on an

altar of t\\ 0 confluent blue clouds , where he sitscross-le ged as a ca lm Buddha aga inst a palp i

tating background of blue fire, into which other

tongues of the pa ler cloud lap from either side .

An enormous si lver ha lo , like a full moon , domi

nates his head and figure , and all but oblitera tes

the myriad flash ings of the etherea l azures. As

if on the edges of a second ha lo of la rger radius ,

the cerulean spaces are broken by thin lightning

like strea k s of red and white flame , whose many

serpent tongues are sucked to the centre as if on

the breath o f a cyclone . But the domina ting ,mystica l feature is the system of intertw istedmagnetic rays tha t i cues from the top of the

Ra k an’

s head , a t first a slender spira l of white

fire, curling as smoke from censer , but shortly

expanding into an unresolvable tangle , whence

radia te three la rger , undula ting rays , as if of

magnetic communica tion with the cardina l points

of space . A third eye set vertica l in the fore

head proves a Buddha ’

s transcendent intelligence .Tire dark brown and gold of h is superbly pyramidally

-a rranged robe strike a wonderful , solemnchord wi th the red and blue ti res , and contra stwi th the gorgeous coloring of the terrestria l ga rments below , in which blues shot wi th red still

predomina te . One must say tha t in the whole

range of imagina tive celestia l conception in Western art, whether in the mediaeval transports of

Fra Angelico’

s sa ints or in the cruder , i f more

intense , apocalyptic v is ions of W i ll iam Blak e ,there has been rea li zed nothing comparable to

this transcendent creation .

This noble conception ca rries us into a sphere where

compari son i s challenged wi th Dante . The de

scent of these gracious figures through a hopeless

gloom of rock , and icy fa ll , and trees of uncanny

foliage , as i f they were dropping from one

cloud terrace to another , the edges of the lowest

holding back th e sinking mass like the prows of

ships ,— is for the purpose of throwing a ims to a

28

23 .

ANCI EN T CH INESE PAIN TINGS.

crowd of ragged outcasts benea th , whether spirits

from one of torture ’s many cells , or lepers bani shed

to this desola te spot , — outca sts who , fl ingingaside their meagre loads , fight l ike demons for theboon . Though the splendidly disposed robes of

the Rakan are not drawn in Ririomin’

s style w i thfirm swelling stroke , yet the broken nervousness

of this artist’s touch has enabled him to render

the squa l id rags and emaciated l imbs with an

intensitv tha t nothing in early Ita lian frescos

equals .

the delicate tones of this picture had been moreperfectly preserved it would probably riva l in un

earthly beauty No . 20. It represents similarlv

the transfiguration of a sa int , who in this ca se

stands erect in attitude of prayer above a rosycloud . From his whole body , and especia lly from

his halo , radiate masses of undula ting blue rays ,across whose magnetic torrent fall celestia l flowers

from the hands of angels floa tingin its upperspaces . Between the groups of the Rakan stand

ingon earth a Deva in a puff of cloud emerges

from below bearing in his hands a large goldendish , whose thin flames seem to lend potency to

the mi racle . This picture has been in places

retouched , and the sta ined ha lo has lost its

luminositv .

Here four Rakan pray about a large bell-gong

which a servant strikes . The fifth sa int sits on a

rock above , hooded in his stole , in utter trance ,and backed by a ghostly dawning ha lo from

behind , which emerges a splendid Deva king , his

CATALOGUE .

blade tipped with an enormous jewel , crossed

upon his a rms , his fingers locked in a specia l

sacred symbol . Leafy creepers and tangled vineshang from the upper rocks in a style i°ecallingsecular work of later Sung . The drapery i s firmly

executed and is specia l ly fine in the simple cat

cnary curves of the tranced figure , which has

served as model to more than one Takuma masterin Japan.

The Rakan descend on folds of yellow sulphurous

cloud , self- luminous , brightening the gloom of the

lowest hell , of which a glimpse is seen benea th in

the mounta in sown w ith sword blades , and in the

cauldron where the souls of the damned a re

eterna lly boil ing . But, through the interrention

of these sav iors , a miracle has taken place . The

very flames tha t leap about the horrid vessel are

bea ten down the steaming wa ter has been cooled

into a sweet lake , from which spring , by d ivine

grace , lotus plants wi th blossoms of blue , red , andwhite . The agonized souls turn in an ecstasv of

relief towa rd the Rakan , or , as if ha lf crazed ,laugh at their unlooked-for reprieve . The very

cow-headed fiend , who , wi th a trident has pre

vented their escape , is forced to his knees ; his

hands clutch as if in the inchoate action of un

wonted prayer ; and the head rolls upward in thea ttitude of a stricken beast.

25 . This picture is dominated by the force of motion inthe N iagara -l ike cataract across which the Rakanwa lk . A corresponding torrent in the a ir makes

itself felt in the swing of thei r garments , and in

30 ANCIENT CH INESE PAINTINO’S.

the wrenching of the tree branches above . Aga in ,the almost horizonta l l ines of the water above theupper and lower fa lls are repeated sympathetically

in the splendid spread of the two straw ha ts .

The head, hat, and shoulders of the upper figure

in blue have much of Ririomin’

s finest dignity .

The attitude of the elemental, who,w ithout

possessing the spiritua l power which would enablehim to floa t upon the surface , yet plunges boldlyin trusting to the sacred rolls he carries , intensi

fies the feeling of dizzy flow in the water .

Here is a large , strong rendering of the a rchitecture

of a Chinese Buddhist temple , whose rectangula r

Spaces dominate the line and color composition .

The foremost building is apparently the library

where sacred scrolls are kept boxed on the

shelves . The boxes are apparently brought in

bv the Rakan from a distance , as in some important act requiring t he mystic intervention of a

Deva , whether the enrichment of a new edifice or

the magica l transporta tion of scriptura l trea sures

from distant lands . The soft color of the Rak an’

s

gowns contrasts , as of something transcendent ,w ith the hard reds of the pillars ; and both are

thrown back into_ a tmosphere by the fine, darkmass of the temple tree , whose color is echoed in

the gray of the tiled roofs . Especially fine is the

tip of the sma ll cryptomeria , which rises aga instthe green wal l of the farther court . Tire architectural deta i l of bracket and carved interspace is

essentially tha t of Japanese temples , though the

proportions differ .

CATALOG UE’

. 3 1

I n th is the composition and color are grand , wi th

the sweep of the double waterfall cut by the

dragon-like branch , and by the rich process ion of

figrrrcs along the chasrn’

s brink , below which

emerge , from the whirlpool under the fa l l and

amid spray transformed to mystic cloud , the

figures of a wa ter king , and of a blue elementa l

a ttendant who bears a loft the former ’s ruby

banner .

The Rakan a re engaged in the occupations of sewing

and mending . They si t on soft , straw mats,threading a needle , ready with a pa i r of shears ,crnbro ideringcolored garments w ith black or with

white thread . A servant comes in at the ba ck

bringing utensils for tea . Pa lmetto trees spread

their del ica te fan-l ike fingers . The composition

i s strengthened by their stems , and by the fence

ra ils made from their wood . The preserva tion of

the color is rema rkable , especia lly of the cloud

pa ttern in the dress of the foremost Rakan , andin the reds and browns of the standing boy .

Sitting on green Buddhist cha irs are four Rakan,finely draped in r ich , pearly robes . From behind ,through an avenue of gnarled trunk s , the fifthRakan is borne in a black sedan cha ir upon the

shoulders of four horned elementa ls , whose un

couth limbs are echoed in the knots of the trees .

A sma ll monkey-faced a ttendant looks up in

surprise .

30. Here is another subject in which architecture domi

nates the composition . The Rakan seem to betaking possession of a temple to which they have

a rrived from a distance , their a ttendants ladenwi th baggage . The absence of all ornament ontheir simple gowns gives them much more theappearance ofmendicants than is usua l , and ca llsfor another scheme of low- toned color . A smallboy beats a drum in the temple ya rd in apparentunconsciousness of this invasion , which we maythus suppose invisible to ordinary mortals .

Before the injury to the upper portion , th is must

have been one of the most impressive of the

series . The brilliancy of the simply disposedRakan group at night rt ading by candle lightfrom holy scripture , contrasted with the gloom

beyond the line of ra i l ing ,— a gloom filled with

infini ty of fine deta il,

i s a lmost Rembrandtesqncin its nota n tone . The grim a rray of the sp iri t

world , souls of kings, Deva , Bodhisa ttwa , and beirirrd them the pa le green and red fea tures of

elementa ls , flocking to l isten through the tangled

vine bcclambered trunk s of writhing trees , w irosc

knots and bone- l ike pa rasites peer out as an arnrv

of skeletons , presents one. of the weirdest fea ts o f

imagination in all art.

The lower ha lf of this picture conta ins the incident

of interest . The fifth Ra k an, w i th the help of the

Deva on the left, brings to a couple standing on

ea rth , a l ittle , sea ted , na k ed babe in the attitude

of prayer , held in a transparent, ruby globe , upon

r golden di sk , by a female sp iri t dressed l ik e a

Chinese nurse . This i s probably the beautiful

suggestion of the conception of some future great

priest . I n his left hand , the Rakan holds a cup

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ANCIENT CH INESE PAI NTINGS.

Artistically , the fine dark blue ga rden rock , cornbined w i th the rich browns of the bamboo fence ,as also the contrast of these darks and of the dark

boy w ith the mingled fea thers of cloud and

banana lea f, are the striking features .

a rocky gorge cut by a tumbling brook , the Rakana re finishing their single da i ly repast . One holdsin his hands a beautiful malach i te bowl , new

empty another ties up a simi lar vessel in a whitecloth while the dominant figure reaches his upward

w ith an arm magica lly extended , to ca tch a rill

which leaps from out the da rk rock-masses . T ire

feeling of the a rtist , who , in concea ling the nu

pleasant feature of this arm by covering itmostlywi th a sweeping red -brown cloud , is noticeable , as

i s a lso the low-toned harmony which this cloud

makes with the blue-gray of the rocks .

Here is another instance of the Rakan travellingthrough the world to v is it the centra l shrines of

many countries . The door of this temple is a ja r ,and through the porta l we see a corner of the

golden a ltar with the colored lotus-throne of its

Buddha . Four of the Rakan are supported by

the cloud ; the fifth steps upon the tiled floor of

the ga llery out of the hands of a Deva spirit who

is l iterally rea li zing the Bible passage , For he

shall give his angels charge over thee . The

drawing of the large banana plant in light green

aga inst the dark gray ground , ismasterly .

38 . I f the colors of the Rakan were here better pre

served, we should have one of the finest presen

tations of the Orienta l method of throwing up

CATALOG’UH .

bright figures aga inst an ink landscape . $ et the

very blur of the low- toned robes adds to the

mysterious effect of the thick grove , through

whose leafless branches l ight shimmers , and across

which fl ies upward from the outstretched blue

howl a cloud of l ight wh ite flakes $ or i s it tha t

an ea rly snow in the chill December glen is being

magically ca ught , and so annihilated , in the sacred

receptacle

The Rakan are multiplying copies of the Buddhist

records . From their a ttitude of discussion , and

the fact tha t the chief in full canonica ls presides

before an a lta r w i th incense , thi s rnav be the first

transcription of legend or of lesson held in the

memory of their personal experience . An inter

esting fea ture is the three-fold screen behind the

master pa inted with ink landscapes on a white

ground in the style of the famous Sung artistKakki . The fema le figures above are beings from

heaven expressing interest in the work , who probably a id in the interpreta t ion.

Though the lower portion is cracked by time and

broken bv the unquiet j ewel - like spots of the adoringfigures , yet the upper group of the Rakan in

the cloud is one of the most dignified in d rapery

line , and in the simple unadorned color masses .

I‘Iach head,too , is a fine study .

4 1 . Rakan crossing the sea upon the backs of marinenronsters, whose drawing makes the picture spe

ciallv interesting . Three of them are clearly vis

ible $ one a fine turtle executed in ink ; one a

3G ANCI EN T CHINESE PAIN TINGS.

ma ss of red and yellow j elly wi th a head slug-l ike ,though giving the impression of a dragon’s features ; that in the foreground , a splendid specimenin full color of the dragon- l ike dolphin which so

often appea rs in Buddhist l itera ture , and is thetenth sign of the zodiac ; a frrll moon sh ines clea r

above the high horizon .

An incanta tion scene upon a terraced floor . I n the

foreground a k rngwith golden censer shrinks from

the apparition of the holy Spirits whom he hasinvoked , and who step from a cloud upon a cloth of

white brocade held upfor their feet by two Chinese

ladies but dimly cogniz ant of the phenomenon .

The wav in which the mingled cloud and wave of

thei r my stic journey blot out the solid tiles -of the

pavement i s a magnificent rendering of the transi v

tion from the outer to the inner v ision .

The noble dragon-l ik e spira l which media tes this

composi tion is defea ted by a lack of clea r notan ,

or da rk and light arrangement . I ts feature is the

manifesta tion of elementa l powers in storm, whose

mists , unl ike the outlined lapping of previous

clouds, is executed in blended ink masses l ike

those of secular pa inting . Out of the cloud’s

frothy portion pours the bulk of a colored dragon ,

elemental incarnation of the motions of wa ter . I n

the blackest hollow are revealed the paraphernal ia

of electri c storm, the how of l ink ed drums with

flaming vases tied into.

the knots between each

pa ir . A servant wi th ma llets, unlike the extrav

agant Japanese Ra iden , is swept into the vortex.

Another w ith meta l rattles seems impressed by

CATALCC UE .

the dragon. Two superior spiri ts emerge from

the cloud , while , sti llnearer , the king of the storm

bows in obeisance to the w i ll of the Rakan.

The interest here l ies in the sa int w i th flaming ha lo ,who fa lls rapidly through space , eyes opening in

his outstretched pa lms , and followed in a serpen

tine magnetic wake tha t reaches back to the verymoon by a graceful fema le figure in white w ith

two attendants . One feel s that some gentle lunar

soul is being designedly brought down to ea rth by

the priestly messenger . Here is the only ca se inwhich the line of magnetic a ttachment we have so

often noted is v isibly connected with an orb .