Mustard+Plant+and+Butterflies

Gift by Caroline and Jared Morse
====**Introduction**: While the artist of this piece is unknown, the message they convey to all of is all too well known. The paradox of life and love and death is amazingly placed in this beautiful scroll. The colours are brilliant and so are the stories behind the figures and plants in the image. China was a flourishment of culture, science, literature and economy during the Ming Dynasty but the message is that no one can escape these two basic functions of life.====

====**Descriptive Analysis**: This piece is a 16 3/8 x 13 ¾ inch hanging scroll with ink and colour. The scroll itself is made of silk. It has been determined to be from the early or middle Ming Dynasty, about 1368 to 1550. The artist is unknown. It is currently held but not shown for public display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It was a gift to the museum by Caroline and Jarred Morse.==== ====There is a border around this piece in the form of a flower design in yellow and grey. There is another smaller inner border with blue background with yellow flowers making it show up more brilliantly. The innermost image starts at the bottom with a faded ink background making it to be the ground. In the foreground there is a colourful green and brown mustard plant. The bottom leaf on the far right has a hole in it that was painted there. A few of the leaves are shown as turned around to give it a 3 dimensional perspective. Coming out of the mustard plant is a lone pink butterfly. The design that was on the butterfly has faded with time and is hard to make out. Another butterfly is emerging from the plant of the same colour. They are flying in opposite directions but still remain close together. The top of the mustard seed plant as tiny pink blossoms that hold the seeds, which you see a larger brown butterfly with a small pink design on the end of its wings flying towards.====

====**Formal and Contextual Analysis**: China was flourishing during the Ming dynasty. Starting early the handicraft industry was at a sharp increase. Especially so in porcelain. From this increase there was the beginning of a market economy and urbanization. There were many homegrown products for sale at the market such as silk, alcohol, porcelain, tobacco, crops, vegetable and fruit. Meanwhile, many foreign commodities such as clocks from Europe and tobacco from America were on sale in many cities of China. Culture was also a huge factor in the development of the sciences. Until the 16th century the Ming Dynasty was the most forefront time for the development of the sciences. Literature was one of the biggest changes and developments that came. 3 of the great 4 pieces of Chinese literature were created at this time. Medical books were created as well as medical scrolls and this gives us new insight into ancient Chinese society. It was also believed that the first man that tried to fly had created a device but was unsuccessful and became the first victim of the skies.==== ====The major religion at the time was Buddhism. The two figures shown in the artwork are from two different major legends in the Buddhist religion. Its intended audience could be varied. The artist remains unknown so it could have been for the elite only or it could have been a public piece.====

The two major myths or legends behind it are the story of the mustard seed and the Butterfly Lovers.
====The parable of the mustard seed is one of the most important lessons any person can learn. That death is a part of life and no one can escape it. A woman had born a stillborn child, a baby boy. She carried her child’s’ body around her town to any doctor or person that was willing to listen and find a cure for death. She was finally told to go to the Buddha. She laid the baby down at his feet and ask him to help cure her sons death. The Buddha said he would help make the potion but he was missing one key ingredient. A single mustard seed from a household that has never known the sorrow of death. The woman accepted her mission and left. The Buddha took her maggot ridden child and cremated him with a proper burial. The woman went from house to house and her every answer was the same, I have known the sorrow of death. She finally returned to the Buddha 2 days later and she cried at his feet. He helped her learn her lesson and the woman back to her husband and had begun to heal.==== ====The Butterfly Lovers is a story that has been known as the “Asian Romeo and Juliet”. A woman wanted to study in school and begun to dress as a man to attend and get an education. She eventually made a friend who discovered her secret and promised to keep it. They eventually fell in love and the man went to the family to propose marriage. When he got there he discovered the woman’s father had promised her hand to another man. He was so broken hearted that he committed suicide. The woman heard about this and on the day of her wedding she went to his grave to lay flowers down. While she was there his tomb suddenly blasted open and she jumped in. Then 2 beautiful butterflies flew out of the tomb and set off in the sky together. It is believed that every year on the anniversary of their transformation they can be seen around his tomb together in the form of butterflies.====

Both of these stories and the meanings conveyed behind the mustard plant and the butterflies have a meaning that is paradoxical but a large significance in Chinese culture.
No sources of information are cited. The depictions of butterflies and mustard was not necessarily intended to recall these two legends.

====**Personal Interpretation**: I was originally finding this piece only aesthetically pleasing. However after further investigation I realized how brilliant the piece actually was. I find that the paradox of the mustard seed, representing death as a part of life, and the butterflies, representing young love and an uncaring existence is truly amazing. I feel that the message trying to be conveyed is that death is a part of life and you should live life to the fullest including falling in love. I am a firm believer in that sort of message and this piece furthers my opinion of it. I find it so interesting that someone was able to take that message and use two culturally significant ways to make his point come across assuming that it was his point.====

**References**:
No printed sources.

[] -The story of the Butterfly Lovers

[] - They symbolism of the butterfly

[] - Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Image

[] - synopsis of the mustard seed parable

[|http://www.historyorb.com/asia/china_economy.shtml] - history of China's economy

@http://hubpages.com/hub/buddhistblog - full story of the mustard seed

[] - cultural, scientific, literature, medical advances of Ming Dynasty