Download Sherlock Holmes At The Cleveland Museum Of Art

SHERLOCK HOLMES AT THE
CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
CHINESE ART IN A DOCUMENT
Introduction
The Ming dynasty lasted from CE 1368 until 1644. For much of this period, China
rejected foreign contacts and influences, turning inward on itself. The Chinese
government became increasingly centralized. Zhu Yuanzhang, the establisher of the
dynasty, instituted a preference for agriculture over mercantilism, greatly reducing the
contact the Chinese had with other cultures through trade. The Great Wall was
dramatically lengthened and fortified against invaders. The Ming dynasty is noteworthy
for developments both positive and negative. The signs of success and failure of this
dynasty are detectable in its art.
Grade Level
This lesson is intended for a 9th or 10th grade high school Social Studies class.
Objectives
• Using artworks as primary source documents in a document-based essay activity.
• To examine works of art as original documents for the purpose of defining a
thesis
• To examine works of art for use as data in support of a thesis
Concepts:
• Dissecting the parts of a persuasive essay
• Thesis building
• Categorizing of data
• Analysis of primary source material
Key Ideas
• The 16 emperors of the Ming dynasty ruled for 276 years.
• The Ming emperors centralized authority and concentrated it at the court.
• Ambitious young men from all over China came to the capital to get jobs at court.
They were often homesick for their quiet country lives.
• One of the greatest achievements of the Ming dynasty was the extension and
unification of the Great Wall.
• The Great Wall demonstrates the dynasty's continual fear of invasion, which
proved valid as foreign invaders eventually overthrew the dynasty.
• Ming emperors supported ancestor worship, Buddhism, and Daoism, and
sponsored the construction and decoration of many temples.
• Dao in Chinese means the “road” or the “way.” Daoism argues that the universe is
composed of complementary opposing forces that balance each other.
• Many Daoists tried to find ways to become immortal, including trying to make
magic potions. These Daoists believed that immortal humans lived in Paradise.
•
•
The first sage of Daoism was Lao-tzu, who later came to be seen as an Immortal.
The Way and its Power is attributed to Lao-tzu. The text is both a guide for rulers
and a philosophical text demonstrating the relativity of the human experience.
Materials
Listening to the Bamboo, late 1400s-1500s, CMA 1977.172
Square Double Gourd Vase with Floral Scrolls, 1522-1566, CMA 1964.172
Hundred Birds Admiring the Peacocks, late 15th-early 16th century, CMA 1974.31
Painting after Ancient Masters: Lao-tzu Riding an Ox, 1598-1652, CMA 1979.27.1.2
The Immortal Li Tieguai, early 17th century, CMA 1973.158
Daoist Immortal Zongli Quan, 1368-1644, CMA 1976.13
Beggars and Street Characters, 1516, CMA 1964.94
Bowl with "Land of the Daoist Immortals," Scene,1426-1435, CMA 1962.260
Little, Stephen L. Realm of the Immortals: Daosim in the Arts of China. Cleveland
Museum of Art, 1988.
“Rise of the Dragon: The Genius that was China,” “Empires in Collision: The Genius
that was China” Coronet Film and Video (parts 1 and 2 from a 4-part NOVA series,
1990)
Procedure: Two-day
Day 1: Unlocking the secrets in works of art: a slide show with teacher-read
commentary
1. Tell the class to be like Sherlock Holmes and act as “Art Detectives.”
2. As you read a brief background for each piece of art, have the students make a list
of details they see in each of the objects from the Ming dynasty.
Teacher notes:
• Listening to the Bamboo: Artist Wen Zhengming was inspired by the
sound of wind in the bamboo outside his house. Zhengming worked hard to
become a government official, but then decided he preferred to return to his
country home.
• Square Double Gourd Vase: blue and white Daoist motif on porcelain.
Animals and birds related directly to rebirth in a Daoist paradise.
• Hundred Birds Admiring the Peacocks: The birds symbolize a hundred
people serving and showing respect to the emperor and empress.
• Lao-tzu Riding an Ox: Lao-tzu is viewed as the author of the great Daoist
classic, The Way and Its Power. This book is the fundamental text of the Daoist
religion and philosophy. Chinese Daoists later deified Lao-tzu.
• The Immortal Li Tieguai: Li Tieguai is one of the best known of the Eight
Immortals. He attained Dao at an early age while cultivating realization in a
mountain cave.
• Daoist Immortal Zongli Quan: Zongli Quan is chief of the Immortals.
• Beggars and Street Characters: The year 1516 was a time of famine. The
artist was not commissioned to paint this work, and as a result, this is a rare look
into the everyday world of the marketplace.
• Bowl with Daoist Paradise: A blue-and-white porcelain showing two
female immortals flying on phoenixes. The set was presented to a woman in the
imperial palace at her birthday.
3. Ask the class to hypothesize as to the significance of each piece of work.
Depending on the size of the class, groups may be more efficient if followed by a
class debriefing session.
4. Show each piece of art again and ask them to find details that repeat from one
piece of art to the next.
Day 2: Categorizing in order to build paragraphs
1. Ask the class which pieces of art could be grouped together and explain the
rationale for the grouping.
2. Ask the class to rearrange the art under the heading of:
Social
Economic
Political
3. What hypotheses can be made about the Ming dynasty?
4. What topics or questions are unanswered by the art?
5. What clues did the art offer if someone wanted to research the Ming dynasty?
Evaluation
A. Have students compose a five-paragraph persuasive essay to support their thesis.
Essays will be evaluated on use of primary material, organization, and writing
techniques.
Enrichment
A. Research the accomplishments of the Ming dynasty, then have students find
evidence of accomplishments in the works of art.
B. Have the class brainstorm what information was missing from the pieces of art.
C. Tell the class to write a story in which each work of art becomes animated and
talks. What would the pieces say?
D. Show the videos “Rise of the Dragon” and “Empires in Collision” from the
NOVA series as either an introduction or as a follow up to this lesson. The two
videos focus on the Yuan and Ming dynasties.
Ohio State Standards (Social Studies Content)
Grades 9 and 10
1.Use data and evidence to support or refute a thesis.
This lesson plan was developed by Bobbie Mucha, high school Social Studies
teacher, Westerville South High School, Westerville, Ohio