Konstvetenskapliga institutionen VISKLEKEN EN STUDIE AV EN ÄLDRE KINESISK SKULPTUR I EN SVENSK MUSEISAMLING Författare: Alexandra Nyman © Masteruppsats i konstvetenskap Vårterminen 2021 Handledare: Johan Eriksson Författare/Author Alexandra Nyman Svensk titel Viskleken. En studie av en äldre kinesisk skulptur i en svensk museisamling Handledare/Supervisor Johan Eriksson English Title Chinese Whispers: A study of a Chinese sculpture in a Swedish museum collection Abstract At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, many objects from China became part of museum collections in the West. One of these objects is a monumental glazed ceramic sculpture from Shanxi Province in China, that since the beginning of the 20th century has been part of the East Asian collection at the Röhsska Museum of Design and Craft in Sweden. Very little is known about this sculpture, even though it’s more than two metres tall and covered in brightly coloured glazes and therefore difficult to ignore. Finding out more about the sculpture means taking a closer look at where it came from, what has happened during the time that it has been a part of a museum collection and what can be learned today. It is also important to consider how museums traditionally have worked with objects from other cultures than their own and the current attitudes to these objects. The sculpture is most likely a liuli 琉璃 guardian lion, but it has been called many different things over the past 100 years as a museum object. Ämnesord Museum, kinesisk skulptur, väktarlejon, liuli, 琉璃 Key words Museum, Chinese sculpture, guardian lion, liuli, 琉璃 2 Innehållsförteckning 1 Inledning ............................................................................................................................................... 7 1.2 Syfte ............................................................................................................................................... 8 1.3 Frågeställningar ............................................................................................................................. 8 1.4 Tidigare forskning .......................................................................................................................... 8 1.4.1 Kinas konsthistoria ................................................................................................................. 8 1.4.2 Skulptur och arkitektur i glaserad keramik ............................................................................ 9 1.4.3 Väktarlejon ........................................................................................................................... 10 1.4.4 Jakten på pixiu ...................................................................................................................... 11 1.4.4 Forskning kring RKM 1371–1915 .......................................................................................... 17 1.5 Avgränsningar .............................................................................................................................. 18 1.5.1 Tid och rum ........................................................................................................................... 18 1.5.2 Språk ..................................................................................................................................... 19 1.6 Material ....................................................................................................................................... 20 1.6.1 Övergripande litteratur ........................................................................................................ 20 1.6.2 Thorild Wulffs anteckningar och fotografier ........................................................................ 21 1.6.3 Digitala samlingar och kataloger .......................................................................................... 21 1.6.4 Inofficiella digitala register ................................................................................................... 22 1.6.5 Övriga digitala verktyg .......................................................................................................... 23 1.6.6 Dagstidningar och andra nyhetskällor .................................................................................. 23 1.6.7 Röhsska museets egna publikationer ................................................................................... 24 1.7 Metod .......................................................................................................................................... 25 1.7.1 Litteraturstudier ................................................................................................................... 25 1.7.2 Samtal och intervjuer ........................................................................................................... 25 1.7.3 Visuell analys ........................................................................................................................ 26 1.8 Teori ............................................................................................................................................. 26 1.8.1 Panofskys ikonologi .............................................................................................................. 26 1.8.2 New Museum Theory ........................................................................................................... 27 1.9 Disposition ................................................................................................................................... 28 2. En kort historik .................................................................................................................................. 29 2.1 Sveriges första designmuseum .................................................................................................... 29 2.2 Intresset för Kina ......................................................................................................................... 30 2.3 Röhsska museets insamlingsexpedition ...................................................................................... 32 3. 100 år på Röhsska museet ................................................................................................................. 36 3.1 Röhsska museets väktarlejon ...................................................................................................... 42 3 4. Visuell analys ..................................................................................................................................... 44 4.1 Pre-ikonografisk analys ............................................................................................................... 45 4.1.1 Piedestalen ........................................................................................................................... 46 4.1.2 Skulpturen ............................................................................................................................ 49 4.2 Ikonografisk analys ...................................................................................................................... 58 4.2.1 Allmänna iakttagelser ........................................................................................................... 58 4.2.1.1 Rökelsekärl?................................................................................................................... 60 4.2.1.2 Drake?............................................................................................................................ 61 4.2.2 Lejon ..................................................................................................................................... 63 4.2.2.1 Historisk överblick — väktarlejon .................................................................................. 63 4.2.2.2 Väktarlejonet i nutid ...................................................................................................... 71 4.2.2.3 Lejonets form och RKM 1315–1915 .............................................................................. 72 4.2.2.4 Liknade skulpturer — en jämförelse ............................................................................. 72 4.2.3 Pixiu ...................................................................................................................................... 78 4.2.3.1 Historisk överblick — pixiu ............................................................................................ 78 4.2.3.1 Pixiu i nutid .................................................................................................................... 84 4.2.4 Övriga symboler ................................................................................................................... 85 4.3 Ikonologisk analys........................................................................................................................ 87 4.4 Sammanfattning av analysen ...................................................................................................... 88 5. Material: keramik och glasyr ............................................................................................................. 89 5.1 Peking-fajans ............................................................................................................................... 89 5.2 Liuli .............................................................................................................................................