Leiden University Student Repository

Rees, Anouk (2014)

Resurgence of the Past: The Plantain Leaf Design on Porcelain

Master thesis | Asian Studies (120 EC) (MA)

In this thesis I investigate the development of a supplementary design in Chinese ceramics, the plantain leaf design. I propose that the triangles on archaic bronzes do not represent (plantain) leaves and thus should not be referred to as jiāoyèwén ‘plantain leaf design’. During the Yuan dynasty, however, one specific type of banded leaf design is developed that can be consistently referred to as jiāoyèwén ‘plantain leaf design’. I map out the developments of the different banded leaf designs, and seek to show that the triangle design on archaic bronzes played an integral part in the development of the plantain leaf design of the Yuan dynasty. These developments are discussed in light of ‘the uses of the past’ initially described by David Lowenthal.

Porcelain decoration

Yuan dynasty

Song dynasty

Jiāoyèwén ‘plantain leaf design’

Supplementary design

Author

Rees, Anouk

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Chinese Languages and Cultures

Supervisors

Gerritsen, Anne

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en