Flora in Winter 2007

Click Here for Slideshow of Exhibit & BVG's Entry by Ann Hanscom

Flora in Winter Update: January, 2007 from Ann Hanscom:

Research into art and horticulture in the T’ang Dynasty in China (618 to 906 AD) informs me that the equine funerary statue would have been a symbol of a person of the educated, wealthy class, perhaps a scholar or civil servant of significant stature. The statue would have been placed in that person’s tomb, to carry him swiftly and surely into the netherworld. In the T’ang era, the Emperor, realizing that China needed a superior warhorse (to thwart invaders), sought the horses of Central Asia; and in so doing, opened up the “Silk Route,” which resulted in great wealth and social change for China. One of many changes was the rise of the first privileged class (between opulent royalty and subsistence peasant), which now had time to consider such things as art and poetry, scholarship and sport, and gardening for other than food. Certain plants began to be brought into homes and gardens for their beauty, and assigned symbolism in paintings and poems. In keeping with T’ang usage, I have chosen for my design Chrysanthemums (Longevity); Lotus (Steadfastness and Continuity), whose seeds could avert famine as well as produce a new generation; and the “Three Friends of Winter” – Pine, Bamboo, and flowering Plum (all of which show life when all else is dormant). Also incorporated in the design are pieces of limestone from Shilin (the Stone Forest) in Yunnan, China. My sleuthing took me from New England Bonsai in Bellingham, to Imperial Gardens Restaurant in Milford, to Jackie Lee, maker of stone fountains in Chinatown, New York to find said stone. I am hoping to procure the actual Chinese Plum (Prunus mume) from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in time for Flora. I’ll keep you posted!

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The participation of our garden club in the Flora in Winter program at the Worcester Art Museum last year was such a great success that we have entered again this year. Ann Hanscom and assistant Cissy Henderson have begun research to create a flower arrangement that will interpret a funerary sculpture of a T'ang Dynasty horse that is displayed in the museum. We hope to keep members updated on the research and progress on the exciting project up until the event that will take place the first week in February, 2007.

The horse has been an integral figure in the long history of China and was particularly revered in the T'ang (pronounced Tung) Dynasty (AD 618-907) which was a rich and colorful age that is regarded by historians as a high point in Chinese civilization, particularly in literature and art. The horse played an extremely important military role as evident in this quote from the 8th century Book of T'ang: "Horses are the military preparedness of the state; if Heaven takes this preparedness away, the state will totter and fall".

Horses also played an important role in the leisure and recreational activities of the elite. Polo and hunting from horseback were popular for members of both sexes along with elaborate performances of "dancing" dressage horses.
The love of the horse by the Chinese during this period is featured prominently in their art and mythology. Horse statues like the one on display in the museum were entombed with their owners to transport them into the next life in style.

Ann is also researching the flowers and gardens that were prominent during the T'ang Dynasty. Mark your calendars for the first week in February to see the final result of the interpretation in flowers of this magnificent piece of art!