KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

The present vase is decorated with narrative scenes that appear to derive from the Sanguozhi tongsu yanyi 三國志通俗演義 (Popular Romance of the Three Kingdoms). The scenes on the body may be associated with the episode known as Jiang Wei Seeking Refuge through the Tuntian System (Jiang Wei bihuo tuntian ji 姜維避禍屯田計). Towards the end of the Shu-Han dynasty, the celebrated general Jiang Wei repeatedly led campaigns against Wei, while the eunuch Huang Hao increasingly gained the confidence of the Later Lord Liu Shan and interfered in affairs of state. Upon returning to Chengdu, Jiang Wei learned that Liu Shan was feasting in the rear garden and entered the palace to seek an audience. There he urged the ruler to execute Huang Hao and thereby rid the court of his destructive influence. Liu Shan refused and instead summoned Huang Hao to appear before Jiang Wei and beg forgiveness. Recognizing the precariousness of his own position, Jiang Wei subsequently followed the advice of Xi Zheng and withdrew to Tazhong under the pretext of establishing agricultural colonies. This enabled him to provision his troops, maintain a strategic position against Wei and, crucially, distance himself from the intrigues of the court.

The pictorial tradition associated with this episode can be traced to illustrated editions of the Ming-dynasty Xinkan jiaozheng guben dazi yinshi Sanguozhi tongsu yanyi 《新刊校正古本大字音釋三國志通俗演義》, published by Zhou Yuejiao in 1591, which contains a woodblock illustration relating to Jiang Wei's withdrawal and establishment of agricultural colonies. (Fig.1) The image is accompanied by the verses: “With weapons laid aside in the southern fields, green willow leaves accompany his martial robes”, and “Horses graze in the eastern lands, where boundless rice blossoms provision the travelling army”.