Admonitions Scroll Essay
Admonitions Scroll is a handscroll painting in nine scenes (originally twelve) illustrating the Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies, a text composed by Zhang Hua. It bears many seals and long colophons in the hands of the Huizong and Qianlong emperors. At the beginning is a fragment of Song dynasty 'kesi' tapestry-woven silk from an old mounting of the handscroll, depicting peonies, followed by a large three-character inscription. The scroll consists of quotations from the text by Zhang Hua, followed in each case by figure illustrations without any background or at most slight suggestions of setting. It is made of ink and colors on silk. The painting survived because it was acquired by a British officer during the aftermath
of the Boxer Rebellion, who later handed it to the British Museum.
The first, or originally fourth, scene shows Lady Feng selflessly stepping into the path of an escaped black bear that has targeted her husband, Han emperor Yuandi, who gets saved by two guards with spears. The painting has no background so more attention is payed to what's going on in the scene. There is a sense of emotion and a sense of naturalism. The figures all look naturalistic, aside from the black bear, which looks like a weird undiscovered beast. The beast's movement seems artificial, there is no sense of naturalism to it at all. The use of drapery adds to the sense of naturalism but it also takes away from it. It falls the way it would do in real life however, the form that it takes when it touches the ground makes the figures seem like they're floating over the ground. There is a sense of swiftness to the husband. It feels like he dashed toward the guards as soon as he noticed the beast and that's why his clothes seem to be left behind. The figures seem to be all placed on top of three different lines. There is also lines going from the wife's face to the beast, to the husband and to the guards and back at the beast. The beast, the guards and the husband seem to create an invisible and endless triangle so you keep staring at them. The use of lines seems to be a big part of the painting.
of the Boxer Rebellion, who later handed it to the British Museum.
The first, or originally fourth, scene shows Lady Feng selflessly stepping into the path of an escaped black bear that has targeted her husband, Han emperor Yuandi, who gets saved by two guards with spears. The painting has no background so more attention is payed to what's going on in the scene. There is a sense of emotion and a sense of naturalism. The figures all look naturalistic, aside from the black bear, which looks like a weird undiscovered beast. The beast's movement seems artificial, there is no sense of naturalism to it at all. The use of drapery adds to the sense of naturalism but it also takes away from it. It falls the way it would do in real life however, the form that it takes when it touches the ground makes the figures seem like they're floating over the ground. There is a sense of swiftness to the husband. It feels like he dashed toward the guards as soon as he noticed the beast and that's why his clothes seem to be left behind. The figures seem to be all placed on top of three different lines. There is also lines going from the wife's face to the beast, to the husband and to the guards and back at the beast. The beast, the guards and the husband seem to create an invisible and endless triangle so you keep staring at them. The use of lines seems to be a big part of the painting.