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Editor: Do you wonder why there is a goat drawing a carriage, rather than a horse, on traditional Chinese art pictures? Why are there so many people watching a handsome man in a chariot? What is the story behind it? Here is what Dr <a style="color: #0000ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/dr-yibin-ni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yibin Ni</a>, a world-renowned art historian, has to tell you.
featured image above: album leaf 《十二生肖图册》 羊车望幸 (sic), ink and colour on paper, Ren Xun (任薰 1835–93), courtesy of Tianjin Art Museum, China
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The second half of the third century and the beginning of the fourth century saw a couple of most handsome men in the history of China.
When an adolescent, <a style="color: #3366ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/fruit-throwing-antics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pan An</a> (潘安, 247–300) was exceptionally cute and adorable. Women who spotted him in the street would circle around him and throw fruits into his chariot as a fanatic gesture of affection and admiration. He usually returned home with a harvest.
<figure id="attachment_2744" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2744" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2744 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-潘安-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="famille verte charger from Dresden Porcelain Collection" width="790" height="624" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-潘安-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1596006082 790w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-潘安-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-300x237.jpg?v=1596006082 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-潘安-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-768x607.jpg?v=1596006082 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2744" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte charger (detail), Kangxi period (1662-1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of Dresden Porcelain Collection</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6325" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6325" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6325 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Christies-charger-Pan-An-潘安Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="famille rose charger from Christie’s Auction" width="1000" height="971" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Christies-charger-Pan-An-潘安Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1612688655 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Christies-charger-Pan-An-潘安Tutuhaoyi-300x291.jpg?v=1612688655 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Christies-charger-Pan-An-潘安Tutuhaoyi-768x746.jpg?v=1612688655 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6325" class="wp-caption-text">famille rose charger, Yongzheng period (1723-35), Qing dynasty, courtesy of Christie’s Auction 2701: Asian Ceramics and Works of Art, Lot 411</figcaption></figure>
The other is <a style="color: #3366ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/wei-jie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wei Jie</a> (卫玠, 286–312), who was admired as a “jade man’ when he appeared in his signature goat-drawn carriage in town.  Wei Jie shone like a piece of gleaming diamond whichever company he was in.
On 17th century porcelain, the goat-drawn carriage and the fruit-throwing antics from respective historical sources were often combined to form one spectacular story scene. Probably, the apparently attractive visual impact outweighed the consideration of truthfulness to the literature among the market-oriented ceramic painters. However, the late-Ming wood-block print illustration depicted Pan An on a horse-drawn chariot and a late-Qing artist resisted painting fruit-showering in his rendering of Wei Jie.
<figure id="attachment_2737" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2737" style="width: 666px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2737 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="wood-block print, late Ming dynasty by Deng Zhimo 邓志谟 'Shu Guo Zheng Qi' (蔬果争奇)" width="666" height="591" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1596006085 666w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-300x266.jpg?v=1596006085 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2737" class="wp-caption-text">wood-block print, late Ming dynasty by Deng Zhimo 邓志谟 &#8216;Shu Guo Zheng Qi&#8217; (蔬果争奇)</figcaption></figure>
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My research results on this story theme were published in the October issue in the Shanghai-based journal Art World 《艺术世界》 in 2006 (also, Yibin Ni, Kantu Shuoci 《看图说瓷》 [Interpreting Narrative Scenes on Traditional Chinese Decorative Arts], 2008, Beijing), when a catalogue published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, at that time failed to decipher this scene on their vividly carved ivory brush holder.
<figure id="attachment_2745" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2745" style="width: 1407px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2745 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-Wei-Jie-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="ivory brush holder from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York" width="1407" height="1764" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-Wei-Jie-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1596006081 1407w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-Wei-Jie-Tutuhaoyi-239x300.jpg?v=1596006081 239w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-Wei-Jie-Tutuhaoyi-817x1024.jpg?v=1596006081 817w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-Wei-Jie-Tutuhaoyi-768x963.jpg?v=1596006081 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-Wei-Jie-Tutuhaoyi-1225x1536.jpg?v=1596006081 1225w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Zhi-Guo-Ying-Che-掷果盈车-Wei-Jie-Tutuhaoyi-1080x1354.jpg?v=1596006081 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1407px) 100vw, 1407px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2745" class="wp-caption-text">ivory brush holder, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
I am happy to see their present correct explanations of the scene on both the ivory piece and their magnificent Kangxi famille-verte dish on the <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MET </a>website.
<figure id="attachment_6327" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6327" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6327 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MET-Kangxi-dish-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="famille verte plate from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York" width="1000" height="1003" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MET-Kangxi-dish-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1612693295 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MET-Kangxi-dish-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-300x300.jpg?v=1612693295 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MET-Kangxi-dish-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-150x150.jpg?v=1612693295 150w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MET-Kangxi-dish-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-768x770.jpg?v=1612693295 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MET-Kangxi-dish-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-400x400.jpg?v=1612693295 400w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/MET-Kangxi-dish-Pan-An-Tutuhaoyi-370x370.jpg?v=1612693295 370w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6327" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate, Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6283" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6283" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6283 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MET-museum-Pan-An-goat-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="潘安掷果盈车画片" width="1000" height="630" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MET-museum-Pan-An-goat-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611659788 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MET-museum-Pan-An-goat-Tutuhaoyi-300x189.jpg?v=1611659788 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MET-museum-Pan-An-goat-Tutuhaoyi-768x484.jpg?v=1611659788 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6283" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662-1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6285" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6285" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6285 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Kangxi-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="掷果盈车康熙五彩盘局部" width="1000" height="671" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Kangxi-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611659880 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Kangxi-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi-300x201.jpg?v=1611659880 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Kangxi-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi-768x515.jpg?v=1611659880 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6285" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6284" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6284" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6284 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Metmuseum-Kangxi-charger-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="掷果盈车看潘安" width="1000" height="742" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Metmuseum-Kangxi-charger-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611659844 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Metmuseum-Kangxi-charger-Tutuhaoyi-300x223.jpg?v=1611659844 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Metmuseum-Kangxi-charger-Tutuhaoyi-768x570.jpg?v=1611659844 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6284" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6286" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6286" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6286 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-plate-ladies-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="女人围观看美男潘安" width="1000" height="736" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-plate-ladies-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611659953 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-plate-ladies-Tutuhaoyi-300x221.jpg?v=1611659953 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-plate-ladies-Tutuhaoyi-768x565.jpg?v=1611659953 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6286" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6287" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6287" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6287 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="women gathering to watch the handsome man Pan An" width="1000" height="741" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611660050 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi-300x222.jpg?v=1611660050 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-dish-ladies-Tutuhaoyi-768x569.jpg?v=1611660050 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6287" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6288" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6288" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6288 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-girls-fruit-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="women throwing fruits towards handsome man Pan An" width="1000" height="689" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-girls-fruit-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611660098 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-girls-fruit-Tutuhaoyi-300x207.jpg?v=1611660098 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-girls-fruit-Tutuhaoyi-768x529.jpg?v=1611660098 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6288" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6289" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6289" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6289 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-entourage-attendants-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="pageboys for handsome Chinese man Pan An" width="1000" height="933" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-entourage-attendants-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611660132 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-entourage-attendants-Tutuhaoyi-300x280.jpg?v=1611660132 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/famille-verte-entourage-attendants-Tutuhaoyi-768x717.jpg?v=1611660132 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6289" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6290" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6290" style="width: 1000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6290 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Famille-verte-dish-men-goat-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="Chinese handsome man in chariot carried by goat" width="1000" height="821" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Famille-verte-dish-men-goat-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611660162 1000w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Famille-verte-dish-men-goat-Tutuhaoyi-300x246.jpg?v=1611660162 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Famille-verte-dish-men-goat-Tutuhaoyi-768x631.jpg?v=1611660162 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6290" class="wp-caption-text">famille verte plate (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY</figcaption></figure>
References:
倪亦斌:《掷果盈车数潘安,陈年旧事女看男》,《艺术世界》, 上海: 上海文艺出版社，2006-10, pp. 102–103;
倪亦斌:《看图说瓷》:《掷果盈车数潘安,陈年旧事女看男》, 北京: 中华书局, 2008, pp. 173–176
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