Confucius:
His Life and Legacy in Art

February 11 – June 13, 2010

Pre-Visit Guide from China Institute Gallery

Introduction

Confucius (551 BCE – 479 BCE) is one of the most influential teachers in history, and his teachings are deeply rooted in Chinese life and thought. Yet, aside from his famous philosophy, little is known in the West about this teacher’s life. This exhibition focuses on the life, teachings, and posthumous veneration of Confucius, the ancient philosopher, statesman and teacher who has come to symbolize Chinese civilization throughout the world. Featuring representations of Confucius himself and works relating to his scholarship and ritual practice, the show will also present objects related to his cult and imperial bequests to his ennobled descendants.

Background

Confucius was born into humble circumstances in 551 BCE in Qufu, capital of the feudal state of Lu, which now forms part of the province of Shandong. Although he held a series of minor offices in his home state and for a brief period served as minister of justice (with the responsibilities of a prime minister), he eventually became frustrated with conditions in Lu. In middle age, Confucius left home to travel among the contending feudal states of North China, searching for an ideal ruler who would govern with benevolence and according to proper ritual. After 14 years, he returned to Lu and from the age of 65, devoted himself to teaching and scholarship. After his death at age 73, his most devoted disciples observed three years of mourning for him, as if for a father.

Confucius’s own house became a memorial shrine, the precursor to the great Confucius Temple in Qufu today.

Exhibition Highlights

In order to address the many facets of Confucius’s life, teachings and belief system, CONFUCIUS: His Life and Legacy in Art is organized in three parts The Life and Images of Confucius; Confucius as Teacher and Ritual Expert; and Venerating Confucius: The Official Cult and the Kong Family Ancestral Cult.

Bust Portrait of Confucius as a Minister of Justice in Lu,
Ming, hanging scroll, ink and color on silk. (one of the best-known representations of him as an official)

Confucius saw many problems in the world in which he lived. He wanted to help make improvements, in order to change the world for the better. In order to get into a position of influence, Confucius tried to get himself appointed as an advisor to a number of different government officials. When this failed, Confucius instead set out as a teacher.

Tripod (ding), Shang
Bronze, with wooden stand and cover, and jade knob (added in Qing)

For hundreds of years after Confucius’s death, emperors of many dynasties came to his hometown of Qufu to offer sacrifices and show their commitment to Confucian ideals of governance and learning. The Qianlong emperor (r.1735-1796) bestowed on the Qufu temple a set of ten ancient bronze ritual vessels. Dating to the Shang (c.1500-1050 BCE) and Zhou dynasties (c.1027-256 BCE), they were precious objects to be displayed in Confucius’s honor, representing an idealized antiquity.

Memorial Portrait of Kong Shangxian (1544-1622), the 64th-generation Duke, ca. 1622
Ming, hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

Confucius’s descendants, surnamed Kong, also received hereditary noble ranks and material benefits. From 1055 to 1935, the senior male was titled Duke for Perpetuating the Sage and lived in a palatial mansion next to the Qufu temple. The exhibited paintings of dukes and their wives suggest their privileged status.

The Four Books, Yuan, 1362
Woodblock-printed books, string-bound

The Analects (or Sayings) of Confucius, which offers the most revealing glimpses of the man himself. Twenty sections provide accounts of his activities; document his dialogues with rulers, disciples and acquaintances; and record his remarks and appraisals, along with the comments of men who knew him.

Traces of the Sage (Pictorial Biography of Confucius), Ming
Album leaves, ink and color on silk

Confucius decided to give up public service and became a teacher, believing that he could change the world better by influencing the leaders of the future. The overlying message to all that Confucius taught was if people are to achieve a state of orderliness and peace, they must return to traditional values of virtue.