Ahura

The Hung-Hsi (洪熙 1424-1424) and Hsüan-te Reigns (1425-1434)

明宣宗像

In 1424, when Jen-tsung succeeded to the throne, Kuo Ch'un was offered the new title as tai-chao of the Hsi-hua (西華 "Gate") and the office of Ko-men-shih (閤門史 Audience Attendant) with the prestigious title chieh of the Ch'eng-chih-lang (承直郎 in the official ranking system). The title Ko-men-shih, like his earlier title, Ying-shan-so-ch'eng, was honorary and without the actual duties. However, it is worth noting that this title was a prestigious title reserved for military officers. At this time, Kuo was still registered in the guard unit of Hsing- wu. As for Pien Wen-chin, it is likely that he received his tai-chao of the Wu-ying-tien at this time. Emperor Jen-tsung ruled only one year and left little information concerning the status of other painters. Yet, as seen in the case of Kuo Ch'un, new titles were offered to court painters during this year.

Emperor Hsüan-tsung's strong interest in the arts made his reign a most memorable era in Ming art history. In fact, this author believes that the Ming Painting Academy was formally established in the Hsüan-te era. This is suggested by two early Ming scholars, Ch'iu Chün (邱濬 1418-1495) and Hsü Yu-chen (徐有貞 chin-shih 1433). Here is Ch'iu Chün's inscription on a Lin Liang painting:

In front of Jen-chih-tien the Painting Academy was established. It cost thousands of rolls of silk from O-hsi (鵝溪)…

Ch'iu did not indicate clearly the date of this event. It is evident, however, that beginning from the Hsüan-te era, almost all the court painters were assigned to the Jen-chih-tien which, as Suzuki Kei pointed out, was the location of the Ming Painting Academy. It is again necessary to stress that the Jen-chih-tien mentioned here was not the same hall discussed earlier in association with the Yung-lo painter, Shang-kuan po-ta. The Jen-chih-tien, where Shang-kuan worked in the Yung-lo era, was in the Peking palace, built by the Yung-lo emperor from 1417 to 1420. Yet this palace lasted only four months and was destroyed by fire in 1421. It was not rebuilt until 1440 in the Cheng-t'ung era. After 1421 the Ming court was moved into the old palace of the Yuan dynasty. Therefore, the Jen-chih-tien mentioned in the Hsüan-te era was the one in the old Yuan palace.

Hsü Yu-chen also wrote on Chang Tzu-chün (張子俊)'s landscape:

The previous emperor [hsien-huang 先皇] was interested in great paintings. Many in Hua-yüan earned great fame…

The emperor mentioned here was most likely Hsüan-tsung, based on both Hsü's dates and Chang's dates.

Also new in the Hsüan-te era was the emperor's involvement in the interviewing and testing of the painters' skills before entering the Hua-yuan. For example, the often-quoted fateful viewing of Tai Chin (戴進)'s paintings was held by Hsüan-tsung in the Jen-chih-tien. Chou Wen-ching (周文靖) was known for winning first place in the imperial contest for painters on the subject of Ku-mu han-ya (古木寒鴉 old Trees and Wintry Birds). Furthermore, for the first time a consistent ranking system was detectable in the painters' titles. The titles appear to follow a regularized pattern, starting from Ying-shan so-ch'eng or Wen- ssu-yüan fu-shih (文思院副史) followed by the nominal appointments in the Chin-i-wei (錦衣衛 Embroidered Uniform Guard) ranks: Chen-fu (鎮撫 Judge), Pai-hu (百戶 Platoon Commander), Ch'ien-hu (千戶 Battalion Commander), Chih-hui chien-shih (指揮僉事 Assistant Commander), Chih-hui-shih (指揮史 Commander).

In the Hsüan-te era, Kuo Ch'un was finally released from military enrollment through an imperial order. He continued to serve under the same official titles, but was raised in rank. Pien Wen-chin was serving as the tai-chao of the Wu-ying-tien in 1425 before he was stripped of the title at the end of the same year.

Hsieh Huan, the favorite painter of Emperor Hsüan-tsung, was best known for his promotion to Pai-hu and Ch'ien-hui during this era. Yet this author believes that Hsieh must have also received his Ying-shan-so-ch'eng in the early Hsüan-te era before his further promotions. Searching through the biographies of the early Ming painters, it appears that Kuo Ch'un was the only painter who had received this title, Ying- shan-so-ch'eng. However, some new evidence suggests that this is not the case. In a rather enigmatic poem lamenting the death of Fan Hsien, Lu I (陸釴 1439-1489) wrote:

Once he [Fan Hsien] was a government student [Ti-tzu-yüan 弟子員]. He enjoyed painting flowers and they were extremely beautiful. Yao Kuang-hsiao (姚廣孝), the Junior Preceptor [Shao-shih 少師] was going to recommend him to the Painting Academy. Unfortunately, Fan was attached to Chu Yen (朱鈆). Chu Yen, with all his wealth, returned to the pit and left his wild ambition unaccomplished. For all this time, [Fan's] painting withered and he [Fan] became the only one not promoted to the Ying-shan. [Lu added a note here explaining that all painters were awarded with an official title in the Ying-shan-so. Only Ch'i-tung (啟東 Fan Hsien) was not.]

This poem seems intentionally vague. Fan's patron, Chu Yen, was not listed in any of the Ming biographies. It is clear that Fan's involvement with Chu, who might have been persecuted for some unknown reason, was the cause of his failure to join the other court painters and be promoted to the same position. Yet the most interesting fact here is that after Kuo, almost all the early Ming court painters were once granted official titles in the Ying-shan-so. The date for this event can be estimated as between the Yung-lo and Cheng-t'ung (正統) eras, based on the dates of Lu I, Yao Kuang-hsiao (1335-1418), and Fan Hsien. This author suspects that this event probably happened in the Hsüan-te era, when the Painting Academy was first established in the Jen-chih-tien. This is supported by the biography of Lin Liang (林良) in the KUANG-TUNG T'UNG-CHIH (廣東通志). According to the Ming edition of this gazetteer, Lin also received the title of Ying-shan-so-ch'eng before he was promoted to the better known title of Chin-i wei chen-fu. Lin's dates have been reconstructed by some scholars as approximately between 1416 and 1480. Evidence also confirms that Lin first served in the court during the Hsüan-te era.

From the above discussion it is clear that the title of Ying-shan-so-ch'eng, which was the first title offered to the first court painter, Kuo Ch'un, had also become the initial title for the first generation of painters in the Ming Painting Academy. Thus, the Ying-shan-so and the Wen-ssu-yüan, the two artisan agencies in which the Yung-lo court housed its painters, had eventually formed the backbone of the Ming Painting Academy. The nominal military ranks of the Chin-i-wei This system were added to indicate their seniority and salary. continued to be used throughout the Ming dynasty. As suggested by Suzuki Kei, the eunuchs of the Yü-yung-chien who supervised the painters in the Jen-chih-tien may have overlapped with those in charge of the painters in the Wen-ssu-yüan.

Reflected in the changes of status of both painters and their associated institutions from the Yung-lo to the Hsüan-te era is the political power struggle between the grand secretaries and the eunuchs in court. In the early Yung-lo era, when the grand secretaries gained political power, they became valued patrons of art. They were responsible for the great activity of not only the scholar painters but also the court painters in Nanking in the early Yung-lo era. As mentioned earlier, Huang Huai, the grand secretary of the Wu- ying-tien, was in charge of the selection and supervising of painters in preparation for the establishment of the Painting Academy. Although the plan was interrupted by the emperor's campaign to the north, his effort was essential for the formation of the Painting Academy in the Hsüan-te era. Major court painters of the Yung-lo era were either recommended by Huang or had close ties with him. Kuo Ch'un and Hsieh Huan were both from Huang’s hometown, Yung-chia (永嘉). This influential official, through his own patronage, introduced the Min-che (閩浙 Fukien and Chekiang) regional style to the early Yung-lo court. Through Huang the court painters of the Yung-lo era also built a closer relationship with the other grand secretaries and scholar painters.

Unfortunately, Huang suffered a severe blow to his career in 1413 when he was wrongly charged with misconduct and jailed for ten years. During his long absence the emerging power of the eunuchs replaced that of Huang and the other grand secretaries. This change of power was revealed when Tai Chin relied on Huang's influence to gain a position in the Hsüan-te Painting Academy. His efforts failed and he had to plead with the eunuch Fu for an official interview with Emperor Hsüan- tsung.

In conclusion, by tracing the titles and status of the early Ming court painters it appears that the basic structure of the Ming Painting Academy evolved from the two major institutions of the Wen-ssu-yüan and the Ying-shan-so. Positions in both were first offered to court painters in the Yung-lo era. The Ming Painting Academy was deeply affected by the political and institutional changes of the Hung-wu and Yung-lo eras which eventually led to the confrontation between the grand secretaries and the eunuchs. The initial preparation for the establishment of the Ming Painting Academy was accomplished under the grand secretary, Huang Huai, in the early Yung-lo era. Yet he was soon eclipsed by the increasing power of the eunuchs of the Yü-yung-chien who supervised painters serving in the Wen-ssu-yüan and the Ying-shan-so. This change of patronage from the grand secretary to the eunuchs contributed, not only to the degradation of the court painters' status, but also to the later condemnation of their styles by the scholars.