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David Golombek\\
21F.030\\
Journal \#2\\\\
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1) I thought the seventeenth century armchair covered by the silk Kesi
tapestry best reflected the tastes of the gentry.  The armchair was of
a simple yet elegant design, carved from Huanghuali\footnote{Flowering
Pear}wood with smooth, even curves throughout.  The tapestry covering
it was red dyed silk, with an embroidered dragons on the back of the
chair, and a pair of horses hanging between the chair legs, with
various other animals and trees ornimenting the borders.  The chair
fits the gentry class because of its elegant design with highly
detailed styling.

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2) The storage container for Weiqi pieces seemed to be the most
typically male item in the house.  This container was made of
Haunghuali wood which was later heavily lacquered, carved into a
rectangular block, with two cylinders bored in from the top, and a
carrying handle above, with a removable lid.  The box was from the
seventeenth century, and was about 10 inches tall by 5 inches wide.
Weiqi\footnote{Also known as Go} pieces were stored in the two
cyliders between games, or when unused.  Weiqi was a more
traditionally male game, and thus this container was heavily male.

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3) The Qungbai ware cosmetic box was one of the very few distinctly
feminine items in the house.  This cosmetic box was from the
thirteenth century, was made of a white porcelain, and was circular, a
mere 5 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep.  Almost certainly the
most delicate piece featured in the collection, this cosmetic box was
of extremely fine porcelain, and shaped into a very thin container.  

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4) The reception hall (or ``Da Tang'') was where guests were received,
and formal gatherings were held.  This hall was the main entrance into
the house, just by the front door, and its setup was dictated fairly
strictly by rules of etiquette.  The room featured in the MFA exhibit
followed these rules very well, with one exception, noted below.  The
room was very symmetrical, with minor asymmetrical details thrown in
at very specific points.  The room was balanced around a hanging
scroll and a greeting banner on the wall directly across from the main
entrance.  A long table rested against this far wall, with a vase and
flower arrangement on opposite ends.  Two chairs rested in front of
this table, spaced according to the respective ranks of the two people
seated in them.  Large cabinets with front panels carved from the same
tree to ensure an equal grain were on the two ends of the table on the
far wall, very clean and elegant.  On the two sides of the room were
large beds, used for more casual conversation than afforded by the two
central chairs.  It was these two beds that broke the symmetry of the
room, and its perfection.  One of the beds fit perfectly, a thirteenth
century bed that was clean, simple, and elegant like the rest of the
room.  The other however, was much more ornate, with elaborate scenes
carved through the side panels.  It was noted on side plaques that
this bed was from the fifteenth century and was out of place; its
fancy design makes it very out of place with respect to the rest of
the room.  With this exception though, the room follows the rules put
forth in ``Superfluous Things'' very well, with a smooth symmetry
throughout, broken in specific places (such as the vase vs the flowers
on the long table), to catch the eye.

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5) I found a large painting of Buddha from the fifteenth century, of
very high quality from Japan.  This painting probably was featured in
a main room, as a center piece for a wall.  It was very similar to a
few paintings of Buddha from China, and probably would have passed
unnoticed in a Chinese Scholars house.

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6) I found a Korean statue of a horse, which was very similar in style
to the Chinese and Japanese statues of the same subject matter.  It
was a bit cruder, and more brightly colored, but these may have been
due to individual piece quality.  In general, the pose picked, and the
emphasis that was placed on various areas was very similar.

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7) I found a Chinese porcelain vase from the fifteenth century that
really appealed to me.  I liked both the design on it, of dragons and
warriors in opposition, and the quality of the porcelain, which was
of extremely fine grain.  The vase was only a foot and quarter tall,
and three quarters of a foot in diameter, but was of nice proportions
--- small enough for all the painted art to be very detailed, but
large enough to be easily visible and work well as a center piece.

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