ACTA VIA SERICA Vol. 3, No. 2, December 2018: 107–134 doi:10.22679/avs.2018.3.2.006 The Journey to the East: The Motif of Grapes and Grapevines along the Silk Roads IN-SUNG KIM (HAN) This paper is an art historical attempt to discuss the transfer and transmission of a certain visual idiom along the Silk Roads1 and to show the multi- dimensionality of the trans-regional, trans-cultural movement. The motifs of grapes and grapevines are discussed here for this purpose, including the grape-and-vine motif mixed with other animated figures and plants. A special emphasis is on China and its reception, but regional varieties within East Asia are also discussed. The motif is one of the most longstanding and versatile visual idioms, widely distributed along the regions of the Silk Roads. This deceptively familiar motif came to China, where grapes and viticulture were introduced far later than the West. The West developed various symbolisms ranging from manic revelry and heavenly unity with mystic beings, to royalty and power in different cultures. In China, this visual idiom was eagerly received in association with something exotic and re-interpreted in the context of Chinese culture. Without active viticulture, IN-SUNG KIM (HAN) (
[email protected]) is a research associate at SOAS, University of London, UK. * I would like to acknowledge the time and effort devoted by three anonymous reviewers to improving the quality of the article. Thanks to their careful reading of my article and their many insightful comments and suggestions, I feel that the argument of the article has become stronger.