Ceramic Tile of Couple Feasting and Figure Pointing to Flying Bat, China (3349BLE) SPECIAL PRICE

Description

Banquet scenes and feasts have been part of Chinese art and culture for millennia. They include celebrations of important rituals and social events, both public and private. These can be religious or  social rituals, funerary practices performed by families filling their obligations of filial piety, family fêtes, scenes of scholarly gatherings, casual feasts for couples and a large variety of other depictions. A stylized bat in the right upper corner of the tile was included as an auspicious sign commemorating this festive event. The bat (fu) is an auspicious Chinese symbol used as a rebus (a pictorial pun) to stand for blessings or happiness (fu) as they have the same sound and comprise all auspicious items creating a life where wishes come true. The bat coming down from the sky means “happiness or blessings are descending from the heavens,” and a boy reaching an arm up to a bat in the sky is a “wish for blessings.” Many brick tiles were mold made mingqi or burial decorations on tomb walls but were also used for the first time in the Song for other kinds of buildings. During the Song Dynasty, mold made unglazed earthenware brick tiles also decorated walls of government and public buildings.  Most ancient buildings containing these pieces used traditional un-reinforced fired mud/brick construction and were subject to disasters like earthquakes, floods, fires, and war so few survived intact and often require repair or restoration. As most ancient buildings with these pieces used un-reinforced fired construction, they were subject to calamities. As few survived intact, they required repairs.