This year is the Year of the Tiger. In a series of exhibitions around tiger cultural relics held by many museums across the country, porcelain pillows such as tiger pillows have become "standard".
The ancients' pursuit of beautiful dreams is concentrated in interesting porcelain pillows.
Feeling these cultural relics with residual warmth can not only help us enter the spiritual world of the ancients, but also allow us to withstand the test of tigers in the new year, become more tenacious, and continue to maintain our desire for dreams.
【The Secret in the Tiger Pillow】
In the special exhibition of the Year of the Tiger in the Shanghai Museum, "The Year of the Tiger Smiles and Yin Year - Sino-Japanese Year of the Tiger Welcome Spring Exhibition", there is a "Golden Age Yellow Ground Black Geese Holding Reed Pattern Tiger Pillow" on display.
According to the description of the cultural relics in the exhibition hall, this porcelain pillow "is in the shape of a crouching tiger, the back is the pillow surface, the front is low and the back is high. It is molded and formed by bonding the left and right halves. The tiger body is first covered with white makeup soil, and then It is covered with yellow color, and the tiger skin is depicted with black color on top of the yellow color. The brushwork is lively and vivid. The pillow surface is not painted with yellow color, and the pattern of geese holding reeds is painted with black color on the white ground." After all the colors are painted, a layer of clear glaze is applied. , fired at a high temperature in the kiln.
This process is also collectively referred to as underglaze color.
The tiger pillow was mainly popular in the Central Plains during the Song and Jin dynasties. It has a distinctive shape and is believed to bring good luck to us in the Year of the Tiger.
Although the tiger pillow is good, it's still a tough one, and it's hard to feel panic under the pillow.
This makes people wonder, whether this is the iron head of the ancients, or there are other wonderful things in the pillow, which make people love it hard.
In fact, in ancient times, the use of porcelain pillows was divided into two parts, one part was used as an open utensil for burial, hoping that the deceased could enjoy eternal sleep (at this time the softness and hardness were no longer a problem), and the other part was specially used for cooling off in the heat (usually in the Cover the pillow with a soft cloth).
According to literature records, both tiger pillows and porcelain pillows in general were actually used at that time.
For example, Zhang Lei, one of the "Four Scholars of Sumen", once wrote a poem "Xie Huang Shi is a Huibi Porcelain Pillow", in which "Gongren made porcelain strong and green, and the old man gave me anti-inflammatory steam; keep it cool in the room The wind is blowing, the brain is cold and the mud pill is frightened" proves that the rigid porcelain pillow has become a must-have bedding for the ancients in summer because of its "anti-inflammatory and steaming" effect.
However, in addition to the function of cooling the mind, what secrets are hidden in the pillow?
Another Northern Song scholar Liu Zhi also wrote a five-character rhythm poem with the title of "Tiger Pillow": "Leiyang has a strange pillow, which looks like a beast. The quality of the sheep can be scorned by the world. Don’t think about Handan, Quheng is my teacher.” The first four lines of this poem explain the origin and mighty posture of the tiger pillow. quality tiger skin", making fun of the cuteness of the tiger pillow hidden under the ferocity.
Coming to the last two sentences, I used the allusions of "Handan thinking" and "curve pillow" to express my unwillingness to cling to the powerful and the political ideal of being clean, and to tell my life dream of staying away from disputes and returning to nature.
From this point of view, the tiger pillow is really not simple. It can not only eliminate the heat and steam, but also allow the poet to express his feelings and show his personality. It is indeed a commendable ancient treasure.
We are used to expressing our emotions with scenes, but we use pillows to express our feelings, but for the first time, let us experience the beauty of this place.
【Handan Dream in Porcelain Pillow】
When it comes to porcelain pillows, they are naturally used for sleeping. After falling asleep peacefully, both modern and ancient people will experience a physiological phenomenon, that is, dreaming.
Therefore, the two allusions of "Handan thinking" and "curve pillow" are undoubtedly related to dreaming.
"Handan Thinking" originated from the article "The Story of the Pillow" written by Shen Jiji, a novelist in the Tang Dynasty.
The story tells the story of a young man with the surname of Lu who encountered a Taoist priest Lu Weng in a hotel outside Handan during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Lu Mou lamented that his life was suffocating and his fame was not smooth, so the Taoist priest gave him a celadon pillow, "the pillow is blue, and the ends are pierced", which is probably a simple and unpretentious porcelain pillow.
When he got the pillow, Lu didn't pay attention, and fell asleep, not to mention that the owner outside was steaming millet rice, and the meal would be ready in a while.
This pillow was really mysterious, and Lu Mou realized that he was not at the hotel in a blink of an eye, but had already arrived at home.
First, Qinghe Cui, a noble family, recruited him as his son-in-law, and his wife was beautiful and moving.
His life was ups and downs, he was demoted twice, and miraculously recovered.
When he was in his eighties, he was full of children and grandchildren. He became famous and died of illness.
When he sighed that life was impermanent, he suddenly opened his eyes and found that he was still in the hotel, and the owner's millet rice was not yet cooked.
Lu Weng asked him if he had a good dream.
Lu Sheng was stunned, not knowing whether it was a dream or waking up.
Lu Weng's celadon pillow in Handan did not remain, but left behind the idiom "Yellow Liang Yi Meng".
Not only that, this story was later adapted by playwrights Ma Zhiyuan and Tang Xianzu, and became famous in the history of Chinese literature with names such as "Dream of Yellow Beams" and "The Story of Handan". , has become a legend of enlightenment and enlightenment.
All these make "A Dream in Handan" a classic novel about dreams in China.
For Liu Zhi, a Confucian scholar who has personally experienced the "old and new party struggle" in the Northern Song Dynasty and fully experienced the ups and downs of the Huanhai Sea, perhaps the plain is the truth.
Therefore, he thought of what Confucius once said: "Sparse food and drink water, and bend the arm and pillow, and enjoy it. Unrighteousness and wealth and honor are like floating clouds to me." The word comes from "The Analects of Confucius, Shuer", and the curved arm is the arm.
It seems that in Liu Zhi's mind, instead of sleeping on a celadon pillow that makes people fall into a sweet dream, it is better to have a simple and unpretentious dream that has nothing to do with wealth, fame and fame.
It is no wonder that he would utter a life sigh like "Don't think about Handan, Quhengwu is a teacher".
【Dream come true, it is better to have a pillow】
From the story of "Handan Dream", we can find that in the hearts of the ancients, pillows and dreams have a natural connection.
What kind of pillow can make what kind of dream come true.
In response to this idea, the ancients in the Song and Yuan dynasties developed a large number of porcelain pillows that have a direct mapping relationship with dreams, so that dreamers can get what they need.
In the Song Dynasty when porcelain pillows were popular, in addition to the most common rectangular pillows, there were many Ruyi-shaped and Yuanbao-shaped pillows handed down or unearthed.
To a certain extent, this reflects the subjective wishes of the ancients about the content of dreams.
However, compared with these simple porcelain pillows, the figure-shaped pillows that emerged at that time showed the social and cultural changes at that time and the rich inner world of people in a material way with unique shapes and connotations.
Among these figure-shaped pillows, the baby pillow named after the portrait of a child is the most popular.
For example, the Palace Museum in Beijing has a collection of a baby pillow from Dingyao in the Northern Song Dynasty.
This porcelain pillow vividly portrays a lively, innocent and lovely boy lying on the couch.
Porcelain pillow is covered with white enamel on the whole body, the base is unglazed, the back of the baby is used as the pillow surface, the head is wrapped around the arms, a hydrangea is held in the right hand, and the feet are crossed and upturned.
The couch is an oblong shape, with embossed patterns on the sides of the couch, and consecrated lights on all sides, one of which is protruding with Chilong, the opposite side is light, and the other two sides are protruding with Ruyi's head pattern.
The children have clear eyebrows, bright eyes, natural demeanor, and vivid depictions, which not only let us see the craftsman's intentions and skills, but also clearly see the cultural connotations of praying for children and suitable men in Song and Yuan folklore.
In addition to this type of child's prone shape with the back as the pillow surface, there was also a type of children's pillow in which the child was shaped into a side-lying shape with a lotus leaf-shaped pillow surface on top, which was also very popular.
Some scholars have researched that this type of lotus leaf pillow surface is likely to be related to the custom of children holding lotus leaves and grinding and drinking music in the Qixi custom of the Song Dynasty (called Mohuluo in Buddhism, that is, the transformation of the child).
Generally speaking, these two types of baby pillows can actually be classified into one category, which essentially reflects the traditional concept of fertility in the Song people's thinking of having children and having more children.
The ancients hoped to achieve the interactive effect of "dream come true" through the practice of "porcelain pillow-dreamland".
Similar to the shape of this child's pillow, a maid's pillow (or sleeping girl's pillow) was also popular in the Song Dynasty. This kind of porcelain pillow is sometimes a rich lady, and sometimes a girl is lying on the side of the oval bed. Bend your legs.
Generally, the left arm is bent under the head, and the right hand is folded under the left arm. Some shapes may also be similar to the baby pillow, holding the pillow surface of lotus leaf.
At least from this point of view, in the dreams of the ancients, (except for the common folk theme of beautiful women falling into dreams), at least there are expectations for boys and girls;
[There is also a fairyland in the pillow]
If it is said that more children, more blessings, and more children and grandchildren are just general needs in the "dream" of the ancients, then after meeting this routine operation, we must enter a higher level of spiritual needs.
Just like Lu Sheng in "Handan Dream", after experiencing the ups and downs of the Huan Sea and the consummation at the end of the eighties, he still showed a sense of loss. If he can continue to enjoy the blessings of heaven "after" in his life, it will become a further pursuit of the ancients.
And this kind of spiritual appeal is also reflected in the porcelain pillow.
In addition to the categories mentioned above, there is another category of porcelain pillows between the Song and Yuan Dynasties, which is extremely exquisite, unique in shape and attractive.
This type of porcelain pillow is a figure floor-type porcelain pillow, the most classic of which may be the one unearthed in Yuexi County, Anhui Province in 1981. The blue-white glazed architectural figure porcelain pillow of the Yuan Dynasty was selected in "The Essence of Chinese Cultural Relics" (1984).
The quality of this porcelain pillow is pure white, the whole body is oval, and it is covered with blue-white glaze, which is lustrous and bright, elegant and beautiful.
The pillow surface is like a rolled lotus leaf, both ends are upturned, the middle is slightly concave, decorated with a prismatic "swastika" pattern, and the periphery is decorated with a cirrus cloud-shaped continuous arc pattern.
The pillow body is in the shape of a platform, and the maker uses sculpture and carving techniques to create a scene of auspicious clouds surrounding the pavilions, pavilions, and Yuyu Qionglou, which is in line with the ancient meaning of "fairy people live in buildings".
There are a total of 18 human figures inside the porcelain pillow.
Sitting on the altar of the main hall is a man with a high crown and robes, and there are attendants standing on the left and right.
There are two men and women at the foot of the stairs, holding peaches in their hands to pay tribute.
The eaves and the heads are decorated with wishful cloud patterns, the bead curtains hang on the palace gates, and the two sides of the main hall are open-carved with copper money patterns on the partitions.
Outside the hall, there are hook rails surrounding the corridors on both sides, and there are diamond-shaped perforations in the shape of auspicious clouds.
There is also a shrine on the back. The layout of the palace is similar to the front, but the decoration is slightly different.
On the altar sits a woman with a phoenix crown and a robe, and there are attendants on the left and right. Below the stage is a huge offering furnace filled with offerings.
In addition to the two people in the front and back of the altar, four attendants, and four tribute envoys, there are eight people in total.
They either held treasures, or whispered to each other, and they all had different expressions, and their skirts were fluttering and vivid.
No wonder some scholars believe that the porcelain pillow may represent the scene of the Eight Immortals congratulating the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother on their birthdays.
The floor-type porcelain pillows of such characters obviously open another window for people's dreams, enter the world of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, share the fairy peaches and elixir, and share the blessings with the immortals.
For example, Zhang Lei wrote in the second half of "Xie Huang Shi is a Huibi Porcelain Pillow": "Dream into the city of Jasper, the capital of Yao, and the immortal weng's food has not been completed... It is not as good as Huatang accompanied by jade screen, Baodian slanted. For the ancients, this dream can even be traced back to the Shoushan Palace, Zhang'an Palace, and Guangming Palace built by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Similar to it, there is also the "Five Dynasties White Glaze Carved Palace Figure Pillow" in the Shanghai Museum.
Although it is not as delicate as the Yuexi porcelain pillow that came out later, it is equally unique and unique.
The whole body of this porcelain pillow is covered with white glaze, and the pillow surface is in the shape of a ruyi head, engraved with tangled flower patterns, and the sides are slightly upturned.
Below the pillow surface is a palace-shaped flat seat imitating a wooden structure, and the doors, windows, door arches, and foundation steps are all shaped like a realistic image.
The front door of the palace building was tightly closed, the back door was half open, and a lady stood sideways in front of the door.
This porcelain pillow is earlier than the porcelain pillow unearthed in Yuexi, but it has the same meaning and is more concise: in this dream palace, there are endless wonderful things.
This kind of secluded image, collectively called "Qi Men Tu", is not only seen in porcelain pillows, but also in grottoes, pagodas, scriptures, relic letters, bronze mirrors, jade articles, scroll paintings, and even on tombs and sarcophagi. People are infinitely imaginative.
After the Jin and Yuan dynasties, it may be that porcelain pillow craftsmen have made new breakthroughs in their skills, or users have specific requirements for the plot of the dream. The change.
Among all those successors, the most distinctive one should be the Cizhou kiln "drama story" porcelain pillow.
This more minimalist version, with rich character shapes and austere decorative styles, leaves more real examples of the ancients' dreams.
The moving plots depicted on the consecration of the pillows are not so much specific historical stories as they are more like people's privately customized and exclusive dreams.
【There is a dream guardian in every beautiful dream】
I talked about the baby pillows of Ding kiln in the Northern Song Dynasty, the porcelain pillows of the blue and white glazed architectural figures in the Yuan Dynasty, and also from the dream of Huangliang, and the "immortal half-open door", these porcelain pillows are all with their interesting shapes and exquisite craftsmanship. The conception of the image tells us the dreams and dreams of the ancients.
If these porcelain pillows, based on their own specific appearance, are enough to let us know what their owners want from them, then go back to the tiger pillow at the beginning of this article.
Do the ancients, who are leaning on these "sheep-quality tiger skin" beasts, have a good dream of dancing with tigers?
The answer is obviously not like this. The logic of the ancients still pays attention to the Basic Law.
According to Ge Hong's encyclopedia of folk remedies in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, "Elbow Reserve Emergency Recipe" (Volume 1), "the fifth recipe for treating death nightmares and insomnia", the treatment plan for 'nightmare' includes, but is not limited to, "Fang Yihu" The headrest is especially good."
Why can tiger head pillow cure nightmares?
Ge Hong also wrote a book, "Mysterious Interpretation of the Dream Forest", which mentioned: "Huo Zhuang secretly taught the 'Tiger Pillow Technique', which can make the soul stay peaceful, the demons and dreams disappear, prolong the life and raise the ying, and ascend to the fairy tale. Want it."
Why does Ge Hong study so much about the "Tiger Pillow", because he is not only the author of "Elbow-backed Emergency Recipe" and "Menglin Xuanjie", but also wrote a famous "Pillow Study" book, "The Book in the Pillow".
The article tells the story of the ancient immortals, where they lived in the fairy caves of the famous mountains and the blessed earth caves.
For beginners who want to enter the mountain, the tiger guarded by Lin Quan is often their first test.
Conversely, only after accepting the test of the tiger messenger and firming up the will to cultivate the Tao can one find the entrance to the mountain "the path of ascending the immortal birth".
Going back to the dream world of the ancients, since sweet dreams are also considered to be the channel to enter the fairyland, then the porcelain pillow incarnated as a tiger's head has the actual function of guarding the dream and preventing the nightmare.
It is precisely because of the on-duty guards of these beasts that the ancient dream-makers are protected, and they can roam in the realm of beautiful dreams with peace of mind.
Of course, the guardians of dreams are not limited to tigers. Lions from the Western Regions sometimes share some of the heavy responsibilities of tigers, and stand guard together in the shape of a lion-shaped pillow.
From tiger pillows and lion pillows to porcelain pillows of "drama stories", from Huang Liangyimeng to the prefect of Nanke, in the long history, ancient Chinese have written too many stories related to beautiful dreams and created too many related stories. Artifacts.
The only constant is the pursuit of a beautiful dream, all concentrated in this interesting porcelain pillow.
(Author: Zhang Jingwei is an associate research librarian of Shanghai Museum)