1000 years
ago, Chinese artisans of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), were
creating miniature landscapes in a tray, the practice was known
as Pen'Jing, or Chinese Landscape bonsai.
In an
effort to capture the realism of a favourite scenic view, such
as a countryside or mountain region, rocks and small trees were
planted in a large ceramic tray to simulate the panorama on a
smaller scale. If one were to view the scene, a harmonious
feeling of having visited the area could be bought to mind and
the viewers thoughts refreshed.
An
intricate part of that illusion would involve the use of
figurines which were of people, animals, huts and temples, which
helped to give an appearance of great age and size to the
miniature forests. The reason for including this record in this
article is to establish the fact that figurines have always had
a place in Bonsai as an aesthetic contribution. The Japanese
dropped the use of figurines from their version of Bonsai about
400 years ago in order to conform the Oriental Art to their
idealistic idiom. Pen'Jing is apparently experiencing a revival
in modern day China, it is a nearly lost art form that is once
again becoming popular with Chinese bonsai enthusiasts.
The Ching
or Manchurian dynasty (1644-1912), one of the most prosperous
during the age of the dynasties, began it's decline at the end
of the 18th century. Having established an export
market for fine china in the previous years would now be unable
to sustain the type of quality and production that had defined
the era. Some experts blame the reason on internal strife,
in-house fighting and excess competition for the wares as the
primary cause.
Cheap
pottery and figurines would dominate the Chinese export trade
well into the next century. Now enters the 'mudman'. Mudmen were
brightly glazed figurines of women, wise men and old sages,
sometimes fishing, seated or standing, holding flutes, scrolls,
pots, fish and other objects of mystical importance.
The thing
that separates these figurines from the ordinary, is that they
were made individually by hand. It has been suggested this was a
'cottage industry' involving nearly every member of the village
in the production of these oriental curios. As the story goes,
when the harvesting of rice was complete and the dry season had
set in, the villagers turned to figurine production as a means
of establishing a vigorous economy. This accounts for the
varying degrees of quality apparent in each of the pieces.
The 'mud'
or clay for the figures was pressed into a mould by hand, at
this point each part would be individually moulded to be
assembled by the various crafters at the appropriate time.
Fingerprints can often still be seen, immortalised in the fired
clay. After the torso was released from the mould, the head,
hands and legs or feet would be added. Then hair, hats, beards
and other items would complete the ensemble. As a finishing
touch, eyes, nose and ears would be pierced to add further
detail. Then the entire collection of the works would be fired
in a kiln to cure the clay.
The mudmen
were hand painted with a low temperature lead glass glaze in the
traditional 'yellow mustard' and 'cerulean blue', 'celadon' a
green glaze, has been suggested as being used to represent
'jade'. Finally, the occasional use of white or brown was used
to break the monotony of the tri-colours. The head, hands and
face were left unglazed to expose the natural colour of the mud
that was often enough, a flesh tone. The rocks upon which some
mudmen were seated, shoes or sandals, were painted with a dark
brown, almost black under-glaze, that was often used to paint
hair and facial features as well. I have seen some examples of
the rocks painted a red oxide or yellow ochre in other pieces.
It has
been proposed that the darker the clay, the older, hence more
valuable, the mudman is. This is considered a myth by most
knowledgeable collectors who know that the differences in the
mud colour account more for the region than for the age of the
piece. The darker mud's were dug from the lower valleys where
soil impurities and water runoff have tinted the clay. The mud
colour can range from a dark grey or brown to a buff or peach
and even creamy white, used more often than not for the mud
women.
The
certain age of an antique mudman can be verified by observing
the mark incised on the bottom of the figure. As all imports
into the US had to have the point of origin plainly stamped
within view, the pottery stamps can actually date the piece.
1890-1919 'China', 1920-1944 'made in China' or 'made in Hong
Kong' and occasionally 'made in China', stamped in red ink
during the late 1940's. If you have a figurine which has no mark
stamped on it, the probable reason is it was not intended for
export and was more likely purchased at a village market by
missionaries or world travellers.
The
absence of the original mudman figure from Chinese export
markets after World War 2, have some collectors believing that
the earliest moulds were destroyed along with the kilns by
bombing raids. Others have suggested that the kilns used for
pottery were converted to weapons manufacture to help counter
the Japanese invasion prior to the war and were destroyed by
enemy soldiers, and subsequently, the moulds were lost as well,
never to be recovered.
Today, the
antique mudman is a highly collectible item, surviving examples
were showcased in a large exhibition at the Hong Kong Fung Ping
Shan Museum in 1979 and at the Chinese Culture Centre in San
Francisco in 1994.
The 'holy
grail' of mudman collecting, if such a term can be applied,
would be the ever elusive 'mud woman', She is a rare item
indeed, adding one of these to my collection is paramount to
winning the Grand Prize in a lottery! I have yet to find one in
an antique shop or win an online auction for one of these
beauties.
Mudman
figurines can range in size from 2" to 18" and sometimes larger,
the 4" to 7" model was the most popular export, mainly due to
the available retail shelving space. Surviving mud figures, for
the most part, have knicks to the hair and outer extremities,
broken and repaired heads, hands, beards etc. It's not uncommon
to find them in good condition with very little damage or no
repairs, and sometimes in mint condition, I have several in that
category and many in the latter. Though it has been estimated
that 5% of the remaining mud figures are lost annually due
accident or natural disaster, the chances of acquiring one are
still good, but numbers will continue to decline.
In the
early 1950's, the Chinese export companies began a new era of
mudman production that continues until the present. However, the
newer figurines lack the expression and individuality that only
a handmade item can convey, all of the experience and talent
that went into the original, is lost in the mechanized world of
capitalism, and for that matter, pales into comparison to the
character and aesthetic beauty of the turn of the century mudman.
Guest Article By Myron Redding, a Mudman collector -
Contact the Author
