Study On The Sea Animal Pattern Art Of The Imperial Kiln Porcelain In Ming Dynasty

The sea animal pattern is the general name of sea monster auspicious animal pattern,the common type of dragon,horse,fish,elephant,deer and other animals in the waves.Before the pre-Qin period,the ancients worshipped nature mainly through animal patterns,trying to make up for their weakness that their strength could not compete with nature.In the Ming Dynasty,animal patterns also followed the development of plant patterns.In ancient China,motif decoration was an important element to distinguish rank and inferiority,and the rulers of Ming Dynasty showed their status and respect by writing birds and beasts.The sea animal patterns of the Imperial kiln porcelains of the Ming Dynasty not only followed the styles of the previous dynasties,but also made bold innovations in the sea animal patterns,with changes in the shape,technology and decoration of the patterns.The sea animal pattern of the Imperial kiln porcelain of the Ming Dynasty originated in the Yongle period,the most prosperous in the Xuande period,and less in the late period.The Qing Dynasty only imitated the sea animal pattern of the Ming Dynasty.There are many kinds of sea animal patterns in the Ming Dynasty.According to the latest Ming porcelain unearthed from the Imperial Kiln Factory site in Jingdezhen,there are more than ten kinds of sea monster and auspicious animal patterns in the decoration of the same ware.Some scholars believe that the pattern of sea beasts may be related to Zheng He’s voyages to the Western Seas,while others believe that the image of auspicious beasts is more from the Classic of Mountains and Seas.Each pattern has its specific meaning,and auspicious meaning is the theme of the sea animal pattern.At present,there are some research achievements on the predecessors of the Ming Dynasty Imperial kiln porcelain,but there are few special combing and research and analysis on the sea animal patterns.In this paper,the study of the sea animal patterns on the Ming Dynasty Imperial kiln porcelain mainly adopts the methods of history,sociology,art and other interdisciplinary subjects to conduct research and analysis.Firstly,from the origin of sea animal patterns,the symbol characteristics and connotations of sea animal patterns are sorted out.Secondly,the development evolution and historical overview of the sea animal patterns in the early,middle and late Ming Dynasty were summarized.Thirdly,from the aspects of the categories,cultural connotation,artistic characteristics,aesthetic interest and so on,the sea animal patterns in the Ming Dynasty Imperial kiln porcelain are comprehensively analyzed.Finally,from the perspective of Morris semiotics,the artistic value of the sea animal pattern of Ming Dynasty Imperial kiln porcelain was analyzed,and the Morris semiotics theory was introduced into the application of modern packaging design of sea animal pattern as a guiding framework.