The classification of ancient calligraphy and painting is very fine. In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, figure painting and storytelling were the main characters, and objects, houses and costumes were occasionally described. They are used to educate people, and there are usually few animal themes. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, themes such as cattle and horses began to appear, with profound social and cultural implications behind them. They represent the courtiers' efforts to help the world, and they all have specific meanings. Landscape painting was basically formed between the Five Dynasties and the Northern Song Dynasty, and was not dominated by animals. It's normal to have no cats. In the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, the social economy developed greatly, and the people became rich. Even in the history books, there were records of selling cat food in the market. At this time, cat painting officially began to appear.
One of the most important reasons is that cats have been domesticated by humans in ancient times (the earliest discovery was more than 4000 years ago), and their value is far less than that of dogs, bears and other animals. In the literature, it was clearly recorded that Gu of the Southern Dynasty kept a cat: "It is as small as a tiger, so people raise it and order it to catch mice."
However, as can be seen from Zhuangzi and other documents, some people began to keep cats in the pre-Qin period, but obviously the status of cats at that time was not as good as that of dogs. Because archaeological discoveries show that there were not many cats in ancient China, but many dogs. For example, at that time, there was a waist pit under the ordinary tomb, and the most common martyrdom animal in it was a martyrdom dog. There are few martyrdom cats in waist pits now, which is naturally related to the high status of dogs in social life at that time. Dogs are loved by nobles because they can protect their homes, hunt and protect their owners, and stay with their owners after death, but cats do not have this honor. More interestingly, before the Six Dynasties, people used dogs to catch mice, so the existence of cats was even lower.
From another aspect, we can also see people's ideas from pre-Qin to Qin and Han dynasties. There are many popular sayings and fables about dogs in the pre-Qin period, such as "a sly rabbit dies, a running dog cooks" and "a cock crows and a dog steals", but there are almost no cats. The description of the cat that can be found is this: "bow down and be arrogant; | West jump beam, don't avoid heights ". It is still fierce and agile, far from the kitten that grew up eating cat food in the arms of cat slaves today. In other words, the ancient cats were in the stage of semi-domestication, and the earlier the cats crossed the country, the more difficult it was to control. In addition, when talking about many monsters in Shan Hai Jing, they like to use them to look like raccoons (a kind of wild cats) and can resist fierceness to highlight the characteristics of these creatures. There is no doubt that it is fierce rather than cute and lovely impressions that occupy the mainstream consciousness in the hearts of the ancients.
Before the Tang Dynasty, it was not common to keep cats, only a few people kept them, so cats were rarely seen in paintings and collections before the Tang Dynasty. The popularity of real cats was in the Song Dynasty, and the story of "civet cats for princes" explained a trend of raising cats in the upper class at that time. Lu You was a cat slave who loved cats most in Song Dynasty. He also wrote many poems describing how he played with cats. For example, the following poem describes his expression of loving cats very much: the last few words of this poem are most familiar to everyone, that is, lying in a remote village without feeling sorry for yourself and thinking about protecting the country and defending the country. The night will be over, I lie in bed listening to the sound of wind and rain, in a daze in my dream, riding an armored horse across the frozen river to the northern battlefield.
However, even if it has been bred, why haven't we seen too much?
Due to the loss of a large number of fine products overseas, there are too few domestic collections, which is naturally rare for ordinary cultural relics collectors. The charm of cats is difficult to grasp, just like flowers, cows and horses, there are also some famous people. Most professional painters generally don't set foot in it, but concentrate on figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, boundary paintings and other schools. Another reason is that I am not familiar with and interested in the subject matter.
To put it bluntly: it doesn't exist at all, or it is too small for us to see.
People in China pay attention to the moral when painting animals, and they won't mess around. In the Song Dynasty, it was recorded in "Xuanhe Painting Spectrum": "Therefore, flowers are to peony and birds are to husband and wife, and there must be wealth. And pine, bamboo, plum, chrysanthemum, gull, heron, goose, will see leisure. As for the grandeur of cranes, the fighting of eagles, the help of willows and phoenix trees, and the cold and tall age of Qiao Song Cooper, those who have the heart to raise people can grasp nature and use it as a spirit, and if they daydream about things, they will gain something.
Horses and cows are the most common ancient painting animals. They represent a long way to go and the harmony between heaven and earth. Dogs represent loyalty and diligence, while sheep symbolize tenderness, kindness and good luck.
Where is the cat? Cat's homonym is "cave", which means the old people live long. When a cat appears in a painting, it is often accompanied by peony, which represents wealth and longevity, meaning "long life." Mostly used to celebrate the birthday of the elderly, the use is relatively narrow.
Moreover, in ancient painting, literati painting has always been the mainstream of concern and pursuit, while the elderly are gradually declining. How many people are willing to be enthusiastic about it in the twilight?
Speaking of it, there are also many famous artists who draw cats, such as Li Di of the Southern Song Dynasty, who painted The Little Film of Cat Slave, The Dragonfly of Cat Slave and The Okra Rock Map. Jin Qinghua's Double Cats; Mao Yiyou's "Cat Tour of Abelmoschus manihot"; Xu Di has "Sunflower Lion Cat Map"; Unknown painters include Flower Cat, Winter Baby Play, Cat Play, Cat Slave Play and Cat Slave Baby Play in the Northern Song Dynasty. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there have been many works.
But on the whole, compared with walking birds, raising fish, bonsai and raising dogs, keeping cats has always been a very small hobby in ancient China, with a limited circle. Cat slaves are mostly literati, eunuchs and some ladies-in-waiting, so the cats in the Forbidden City are particularly pleasing. Looking through classic novels such as A Dream of Red Mansions, The West Chamber and The Journey to the West, there are parrots, starlings, crickets and cockfights, but there is no trace of cats. It can be seen that cats are mysterious and elusive creatures in the eyes of the ancients, so they stay away from them. Cat slaves who love cats like Lu You and Badashan people will eventually become a minority, and naturally it is difficult to show their faces in ancient calligraphy and painting.
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