Engendering thunder: Imperial consorts, thunder ritual and the power of Daoist material culture at the Ming court
This article delves into the world of powerful women at the Ming court and their patronage of Daoist ritual and visual arts, focusing on the significance of Thunder Ritual (leifa 雷法). By examining a painted ritual scroll of the Daoist exorcistic Thunder Deity Wang Lingguan 王靈官 (Efficacious Agent Wan...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
2024
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| In: |
Studies in Chinese Religions
Year: 2024, Volume: 10, Issue: 1, Pages: 47–62 |
| Further subjects: | B
Daoist visual and material culture
B wang lingguan B Gender B ming court B thunder ritual B court women |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article delves into the world of powerful women at the Ming court and their patronage of Daoist ritual and visual arts, focusing on the significance of Thunder Ritual (leifa 雷法). By examining a painted ritual scroll of the Daoist exorcistic Thunder Deity Wang Lingguan 王靈官 (Efficacious Agent Wang), Wang Lingguan and His Retinue, this study unravels the connections between Daoist Thunder Ritual, court women and the realpolitik of the Ming court. The painting was commissioned in 1542 by the Jiajing Emperor’s 嘉靖 (r. 1521–1567) Honoured Imperial Consort Lady Shen (Huangguifei shen 皇貴妃沈), and the circumstances surrounding the commissioning of the scroll reveal an intertwined relationship between Daoist material culture and the religious identities of high-ranking court women. This study contributes to an ongoing scholarly re-visioning of Daoism’s critical role in Ming history by arguing that Wang Lingguan and His Retinue stands as a material witness to the significance of Thunder Ritual at Jiajing’s court and also serves as evidence of the important role that high-ranking court women’s patronage of Daoist art plays in the significance of Daoism during the Ming dynasty. |
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| ISSN: | 2372-9996 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studies in Chinese Religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/23729988.2024.2354617 |