Tea theme in Chinese scroll paintings of the Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties: genre, plot and compositional features, iconographic schemes

Abstract

This article explores the tea paintings of the Tang (618–907), Song (960–1279), and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, aiming to demonstrate how changes in Chinese tea culture were reflected in traditional painting over the centuries and to identify genre, plot and compositional features, iconographic schemes of the tea paintings of this period. The topic is significant as there is a lack of similar studies covering multiple historical periods in both domestic and foreign art history. The comparative-historical method is utilized to identify common features and characteristics of tea painting across the three dynasties, revealing two distinct periods of development. In the first period, during the Tang and Song dynasties, professional artists began to incorporate tea as a subject in their figure paintings, showcasing a keen attention to the process of preparing and drinking tea and providing detailed depictions of various teaware. In the second period, during the Ming dynasty, the tea theme continued to be explored by amateur artists, particularly those in the literati painting (wenrenhua) tradition, and reached its pinnacle in the Wu school of painting. These artists aimed to capture the atmosphere and mood of the tea ceremony, reflecting the spirit of the times. Some of their scrolls reproduce the iconographic scheme of tea drinking in a secluded hut, that goes back to Zhao Yuan’s work “Lu Yu Brewing Tea”. Some tea paintings have been included in the scholarly discourse of domestic art history, and information from written sources has further enriched our understanding of Ming dynasty tea culture. The results of this study can form the basis for further research and be used in educational, museum and exhibition activities.