Children at PlayAn Album of Twelve Leaves Stephen Wilkinson (bio) and T.C. Lai (bio) Reproduced below is an album of twelve figurai studies of children dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They are done in the traditional Chinese format of the round fan. (The folding fan was introduced from Japan during the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644.) Each painting is twelve by fourteen inches and is mounted on a rectangular backing. The reproductions are from photographs supplied by Professor T. C. Lai, who has also supplied material for some of the captions. The medium used is essentially brush and ink with color limited to filling in areas already defined by line; minimal shading is found in some faces and rocks. A single artist did all the leaves, and various versions of his nicknames appear in the signatures found on each leaf along with his seals, although the abbreviated form of these signatures makes it difficult to identify the artist. Other seals belong to subsequent owners of the set. The use of children as subject matter in a high art format such as this represents a minor genre which first appeared in the work of court artists. The subject reflects the deep-seated concern in China with the continuation of family lines, and in later centuries pictures of this kind were presented as wedding gifts, both as an inducement to and as a promise of the begetting of numerous offspring. Of great interest in many of these leaves is the depiction of activities and positions that were considered at least as much the province of adults as of children, a reflection of a tendency in traditional Chinese culture not to differentiate childish from adult concerns. In literature, for instance, serious subjects such as history, philosophy, and poetry were considered proper for presentation to child and adult alike, while tales of fantasy, magic, heroism, and derring-do were also popular with all ages. But the former were viewed as a written genre, while the latter were presented by storytellers in impromptu street performances. Thus, in China, an oral tradition remained strong long after fully matured literacy was achieved. In painting, serious subjects and landscape predominated as subject matter, but visual depictions of the lighter side of life did appear, as is the case here, with children playing the roles. [End Page 23] Click for larger view View full resolution Children playing cymbals, gong, drums, and long horn. The group at right is in cold-weather clothing though the scene is indoors. Note the table with candlestick, cups, and a tray of refreshments behind them. A painting of bamboo mounted with silk brocade hangs on the rear wall. Click for larger view View full resolution Children parading with lighted lanterns. A practice associated with the night of the full moon of the eighth lunar month, when lanterns of differing shapes such as the fish, butterfly, and various blossoms seen above were employed. Note the pull toy on the left, which is in the shape of the Taoist god of longevity with his distinctive bulging head and rustic crosier. The rock with large holes on the far left is a particularly prized specimen in garden decoration. This type is named T'ai Hu (Lake Tai) after the site where it is found. [End Page 24] Click for larger view View full resolution Goldfish viewing. A common pastime among the gentry, who collected prized specimens. The pose of the child asleep on a banana leaf is taken from earlier painted depictions of ladies of spectacular beauty. Click for larger view View full resolution A ball game. The children are able to kick, bounce, and throw the ball in this game. [End Page 25] Click for larger view View full resolution Children playing with firecrackers. An activity associated with the lunar New Year's celebration, when the first act of the New Year was to set off firecrackers on one's doorstep to ward off evil spirits for the coming twelve months. Note the addition of a martial note in the presence of a miniature fortress on which one child is placing a flag. Click for larger view View full resolution Children...