Two garden statues grace the side gardens flanking the central pool, in front of the Blake House. The Chinese woman statue proves especially interesting as it is (no doubt a copy, or replica) a Tang Dynasty image. (Jan Chapman, Moon-Gong Figures, from Tang Dynasty China, p 135 Arts of Asia March - April 2012).
The one which is cited in this article is a "Shiwan pottery figure of the Goddess of the Moon, Polychrome glazing. Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Height 83 cm Ac. 7026 National Museum of History, Taipei." This female figure is wearing the feather collar and a skirt consisting of many different colored ribbons hanging down from the waist and holds up a moon in one hand. Moon maidens danced in rainbow skirts and feather capes and were seen by the Tang Dynasty Emperor Xuanzong(756) when he travelled to the Palace of the Moon seeking his great love, the lady Yang Guifei as recorded in a poem, "Everlasting Sorrow" written by poet Bai Juyi (772-846). When the emperor returned to earth, he composed a dance , niching yuyi, in remembrance of Yang Guifei.
The figurine's hair style is also "moon shaped". The article goes on to describe other figures which possess some of these characteristics in a variety of museums, including the Musee Guimet, Paris, as well as the Tsui Museum, HK, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, but none of these are exactly like this one in the Blake Garden which is identical in appearance to the Taipei Museum example.(p 134-140, article cited)
Now I shall look even more affectionately on this Statue in Blake House gardens. Blake House is traditionally the home of the President of the University of California, Berkeley.
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| Mrs Blake collected this piece turn of the 20th c. |
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| Skirt has ribbons and butterfly motif |
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| Moon Goddess has companion, lover, Count of the Wind (detail provided by manager of garden) |
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| He carries a "striker" for "moon" disk in his hand.... |
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