Objects of Contemplation

I 13 ing in China almost ground to a halt, reduced mostly to a small group of scholars who remained active in the shadows. It has taken a while for International collectors to arrive at the subtleties and delights of the literati aesthetic. Initially, with the traditional collector-base sidelined, Western collectors completely inverted the traditional Chinese hierarchy of the arts, creating an anomaly which is only just beginning to be redressed. In 1973 an entire col- lection of fifteenth-century paintings could have been bought for the hammer-price of a single Chenghua Imperial wine-cup. Today the balance is rapidly reverting to the traditional hierarchy and the future balance between the various arts is hardly in doubt. Another intriguing aspect arising out of the hierarchy of art – indeed, an excellent litmus-test to indicate where in the hierarchy something ranks – relates to damage . The greater the inner meaning of a work of art, the less damage impacts upon its aes- thetic appeal or value. A painting by Fan Kuan (or Leonardo da Vinci, for that matter), accidentally ripped in half and invisibly restored would retain its impact and appeal unaffected. If a mass- produced, export porcelain punch-bowl is broken in half and restored, both impact and appeal are significantly reduced, along with market value. Another useful test relates to the importance of antiquity in determining value. At the top of the hierarchy a work of art may be instantly considered both a masterpiece and of high value, whereas at the other end something must be of considerable age before it acquires value beyond its functional purpose. Late- Ming connoisseurs, for instance, allowed only ceramics of the Song dynasty and, by implication, early dynasties, as being fit for display (as opposed to use) in their studios. However, a painting or calligraphy by a living master was immediately revered, and certain contemporary objects, even if only patronized by the literati, endorsed as elegant enough for immediate elevation to the realm of highly respected art. We find in the literati arts a great store of esoteric, inner languages and symbolism, originally intended to be read only by the class of elite aesthetes who produced and patronized them. At these deeper levels, apparent surface differences are unified – there is an inner symmetry. It is, perhaps, this inner level of meaning that unifies the apparently disparate elements of the collection I have formed over the past forty years. The pieces gathered here have been my playthings for many years, but they have also been the playthings of the literati, in the most profound sense of the word ‘play’. They embody the Dao in Chinese art - always there in the syncretic philosophy of the culture - and thus the sagacity of the influential minority in one of the world’s most advanced and long- lasting aesthetic cultures. Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat January, 2010 “ This is the subjective realm of the connoisseur, where esoteric interpretation is everything, and where authenticity is sought primarily at an emotional level. ”