Joss paper 3: Clothes

Yet another form of joss paper. This particular example was collected in Singapore around 2014. It is a more elaborate version of the paper featured previously 

This particular piece of paper is intended to be burnt as an offering to the deceased. It would then re-materialize on the "Other side"  as a garment. 

It consists of a T-shaped piece of decorated paper, to which a pair of yellow triangles of crepe paper have been attached to either side. (The triangle on the left side was crumpled in the process of scanning). This is a particularly conservative form. Paper makers also make more modern-looking clothes. 

These clothes come in a pack of around 20 pieces. The garments in such a pack come in several different colours of paper-- yellow, red and green in addition to white.  

Paper makers also sell smaller versions of such clothes, intended as offerings for the wandering spirits of those who died in infancy. 

Book cover: The Romance of the Three Kingdoms

These covers belong to an edition of the celebrated Chinese Novel Romance of the Three kingdoms. They were collected in Singapore in 2018, but were published in Hong Kong sometime in the past century.

A previous owner has written the numbers of the volumes on the set. The one on the right has 二 Volume 2 (near the prow of the boat), and the one on the left has 四, Volume 4 ( Near the arm of the reclining figure).  In traditional Chinese bookbinding, it is not uncommon for an longer work (like this)  to be split up into smaller volumes of "Fascicles"

The two covers are done in a charming style that is seldom encountered today. Both covers bear the same three lines of Chinese text: 

繡像仿宋完整版

三國志演義

香港五桂堂書局印行

(Illustrated, Imitation Song complete edition)

THE ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS:

Published by Wu Gui Tang bookshop, Hong Kong. 

This requires some explaining. The word translated as "illustrated" is 繡像 xiùxiàng literally meaning "Embroidered". Chinese novels often had illustrations of the characters. These illustrations were rendered in line-work, and hence figuratively referred to as 'embroidery'. These illustrations comprise part of the book's "Front matter" , and would be found in volume 1 of the set.   As I possess only volumes 2 and 4, I cannot show you the illustrations (if they existed)

The "imitation Song" probably refers to a family of Chinese typefaces, in which the book is set. 

This image (and the next) are the first two pages of the fourth volume of the set. The text shown is the first part of the 91st chapter of the novel. Like many Traditional Chinese books, the text here reads Right-to-left, in vertical columns. The title of the chapter, (1st line from right) and the first word of the chapter ( topmost character in the 2nd row from the Right) are set in larger type than the rest of the novel

The text is densely set. Unlike in modern texts, The only punctuation used are dots. 

Chinese Decorated paper 5-- Box

The following pieces of decorated paper covered a box. The box contained a set of fairly mysterious gaming-tiles. The tiles themselves are shown here 

The upper cover of the box. It displays a trellis pattern of chrysanthemums and Lotuses.  Round medallions bear a text in Chinese. Written in the archaic seal-script, it reads 花開富貴 -- "[may] the Flowers open, and prosperity arrive" 

The bottom part of the box displays a fine floral pattern, printed in red. 

Joss paper 1- "Cloth"

According to Chinese tradition, one may send gifts to one's ancestors ( clothes, money and even whole houses) if paper representations of these things are burnt as offerings to them. Such paper articles are commonly known as "joss paper" .
  Many of these papers are most curious , if in their own gaudy way, and I shall be presenting more of such things in the future.

The present article of joss paper is a square sheet of thin Chinese , or "Rice" paper. It is printed with a elegant pattern of flowers and scrollwork. It is intended to represent a piece of patterned cloth-- presumably for ancestors who prefer making their own clothes.

 

This paper is printed off a woodblock, as seen from the black gouge marks in the upper left corner. This is somewhat surprising, considering that this paper was bought around 2011.This sheet was once part of a stack of sheets. All bore the same pattern ( as here) but were printed on different colour of paper -- green , yellow  and white in addition to this pink colour.

 

 

Tiger skin paper ( 虎皮纸) -1

Yet another form of Chinese decorated paper is known to the Chinese as 虎皮纸-- Tiger-skin paper. The paper is a form of sprinkled paper, with ist chief feature being white spots sprinkled on a ground colour. Judging from the appearance of the paper, the spots would have been made by sprinkling a caustic substance ( perhaps potash) onto dyed paper. As the potash would cause the dyes to decolourize, a pattern of white spots would form.

The form of the spots on the pattern varies widely, in some cases, they look like little starbursts. in others, like here, the maker appears to have allowed the chemical to flow, creating streaks. 

Chinese decorated paper - 4

Here is yet another example of Chinese decorated paper. Like the last few examples, it is manifestly an imitation of cloth, in this case some form of embroidery, with a pattern of cranes and squiggly lines in white on a dark background.

 

This example would find particular use as an inexpensive substitute of silk for the framing of paintings, or the lining of boxes.

Chinese decoarted paper- 3

Another sheet of Chinese decorated paper. This particular pattern is also an imitation of brocade. Brocade of this pattern , or a very similar one is extremely often used in the covering of boxes, &c, and this appears to be a photographic reproduction of such a cloth 

 

 

 

Chinese decorated paper 2-

Another Chinese decorated paper. It is printed on very similar stock as the previous example, and is indeed, another imitation of brocade. It was produced around 2011

 



see also: http://decoratedpaper.blogspot.sg/2013/08/chinese-decorated-paper.html

Chinese decorated paper -1

It is evident that the pattern we see here is an imitation of brocade or silk. Indeed, it may very well be actually be a photograph of some silk.. Judging from the pattern and the thin paper it is printed on, it is of Chinese manufacture. It is of recent date, around 2011.