The Master and the Skull: Painted Daoist Narratives on Song-Yuan Dynasty Ceramic Pillows

This paper explores the convergence of motives between philosophy and art through the examination of a curious object at the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong – a unique stone-ware pillow featuring the unconventional representation of a skeleton enthusiastically beaten by two herding boys. The scene, which evokes the episode of Zhuangzi’s pillowing of a skull, presents a number of elements that allow us to deconstruct the complex connections between Buddhist and Daoist imagery featuring skulls and herding boys, as well as the way popular beliefs were instrumentalized into religious performances and luxury objects for either personal enlightenment or for the conversion of the masses. In the conclusion, we analyze additional examples of Daoist narratives in ceramic pillows and other luxury products, drawing conclusions on the stoneware industry and its role in medieval times in the proselytization and the development and understanding of religious beliefs.