• (The)Study of the Eastern Classic
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• no.62
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• pp.263-289
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• 2016

Confucius, whose life coincided with the Warring States period of China, is one of the most respected sages in world history whose teachings and life produced countless disciples in China, Korea, and Japan. There are innumerable pictures, sculptures, and other artworks that portray memorable deeds of Confucius and interesting anecdotes that involve his pupils. One of the most popular subjects for these Confucian portrayals is the anecdote in which Confucius and his pupil, Zhi Ru, discover a tilting vessel at an ancestral shrine in the Lu dynasty and use it to understand the doctrine of the mean. The vessel becomes the basis for the famous Chinese expression, "the cautionary vessel beside one's seat," which is nowadays used to denote one's motto for life. Portraits of these tilting vessels can be divided between those showing the vessels only and others that show Confucius observing the vessels. The former serve as visual reminders, for rulers and policy makers, of the doctrine of the mean that is necessary to fair and righteous governance. The latter form part of the pictorial biography of Confucius with educational content and messages. Interestingly, portraits of Confucius observing or studying tilting vessels have been famous among members of the royal court and the literati, circulated either as single artworks or included in the folding screens of human portraits. Portrayals of other Confucian anecdotes are mostly found in albums that visualize the genealogy of the Way; in contrast, the portraits of Confucius and the tilting vessels were included in folding screens that were popular among the literati that enjoyed stylish works of art and antiques. The portraits of tilting vessels thus highlight the diverse functions and symbolic value of human portraits. This study classifies the portraits of tilting vessels into various forms, and analyzes the period-and objective-dependent changes and characteristics in these portraits. With its exploration of the diverse functions and aspects of portraits of Confucian anecdotes, this study will shed new light on how ancient artists reanimated the lives of great sages and how these artworks differ in their expressions and styles.