[Online lecture] Mercury in China: The Transcultural Journey of an Astrological Image Dr. Yanwu WU, Guangxi Arts University (China), Department of Art History
The lecture will be held online. An invitation with the password will be sent to the IKO and CATS community via list serve. Watch for details!
Join the video lecture:
https://heibox.uni-heidelberg.de/d/e157ed63f8a34e4696ed/
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The image of Mercury appeared in China during the Tang Dynasty as a woman holding paper and pen, accompanied by a monkey. This motif can be traced back to the Persian image of Mercury, where he appears depicted as a scribe. The deity’s feminine appearance and the association with a monkey are instead ascribable to a Chinese indigenous appropriation. The images of planetary deities came into Tang China in close association with the astrologic system of seven planets and the zodiac. This adaptation reflects how the newly introduced astrological system was understood, accepted, and transformed by local actors. When reinscribed into the Chinese context, planetary images assumed animal features from Chinese zodiac; this connection explains why Mercury is associated with a monkey.
The astrological system of the seven planets and the zodiac originated from ancient Greece and, after travelling throughout Persia and India, came into Tang China. According to 10th to 14th century Arabic-Persian literature, the astrologic images enriched with animalized features were then disseminated back to Persia and India, and reached Europe during the Medieval period and early Renaissance.
Yanwu WU is a lecturer at the Guangxi Arts University, China (2017-present). His academic interest focuses on the cultural and artistic exchanges between China, Asia and Europe in the middle ages. After graduating from the China Academy of Art, he completed his Ph.D. degree at the Department of Art History of Peking University. Adresse CATS – Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies, Gebäude 4120 via IKO and CATS mailing list Voßstraße 2 69115 Heidelberg Veranstalter Institut für Kunstgeschichte Ostasiens Homepage Veranstalter http://iko.uni-hd.de/ Kontakt Institut für Kunstgeschichte Ostasiens Kontakt URL http://iko.uni-hd.de/ |