THE STORY
The needles of the ancient pine caress ever-darkening skies, until the chrysanthemum moon softly rises.
The burnished light gilds the tips of glistening wings, raised to the heavens, poised for performance.
Unruly blooms tangle and climb towards divine realms, their florid fingers curling heavenward.
Slick, lacquered eyes glint like liquid in the metallic, selenian glow;
these are immortal birds dancing to the rhythm of celestial music.
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ARTIST'S NOTES
This page showcases a personal summary of Sabina's research, her detailed texts reflecting on the specific themes and ideas which influenced the final artworks and help to bring each story to life. Sabina's accompanying notes are an integral part of her creative process, summarising the multitude of influences, discoveries, and inspiration behind every design.
Wind Dancer, Heaven Caller was inspired by the belief in the immortal Chinese crane; celestial beings crossing boundaries between the mortal sphere and the divine. Representing a harmonious relationship when depicted as a pair, the two cranes are illustrated in the ‘wind dancer’ and ‘heaven caller’ archetypal silhouettes of the Song Dynasty, accompanied by a flourish of blooms in the traditional Bird and Flower Painting style of the era. The addition of a pine branch in conjunction with the protagonists symbolises longevity. Chrysanthemums and a full moon represent an autumnal scene, while strategically placed cinnabar seals identify the artist and the provenance of the work while balancing the composition. Sabina Savage is noted in a traditional, calligraphy-style brush script.
The design is featured in the collection Softest Song, a gentle, poetic take on the peaceful culture and stories of Song Dynasty China. From mythical creatures to symbolic animals, the collection focuses on the simplicity, refinement and tenderness of the era.
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THE ILLUSTRATION
Known as a bird of the immortals, the crane is thought to pass between ethereal realms, dancing the boundary between heaven and earth. They are yang birds roaming in a yin world; celestial beings used as transport by spirits and deities, crossing kingdoms and carrying messages between the mortal sphere and the divine. They represent peace and purity and are frequently associated with carrying benevolent souls into the afterlife. In mythology and legend, cranes often live for a thousand years, and therefore symbolise longevity, immortality and eternal youth in ancient Chinese art, especially when combined with pine.
The word for crane (鹤/鶴, hè) is a homophone for harmony (和, hè) in Chinese language, and therefore two cranes are often depicted together in art and literature to represent a harmonious, long-lasting relationship. The sound also represents high status as the crane is regarded as ‘a bird of the first rank’ in the imperial hierarchy. Cranes are the king of birds, their elegant white plumage signifying purity, while they are coronated with a blood-red crown standing for fire, intensity, and vitality. These regal connotations mean cranes are closely tied to a sense of elegance, status, importance, and moral integrity.
RESEARCH
Beginning under Tang rule, the art of ‘huaniaohua’ or Bird and Flower Painting, reached its peak during the Song dynasty. These artworks primarily belong to the scholarly literati-artist style of painting, within which painters developed a freehand-style as a means to express their emotions and try to capture the essence of ‘qiyun’ (essential life-force) through their brushstrokes. They considered Chinese calligraphy and poetry (uniting The Three Perfections) as being an integral component of their ‘huaniaohua’ painting by giving their work a deeper spiritual meaning.
Like other subjects of this Song Dynasty phenomenon, cranes were typically portrayed in a garden setting of flowers, rocks and trees. Depictions of cranes during this era were highly prized and meaningful; the ethereal birds were always depicted following one of the six symbolic silhouettes: ‘Heaven-calling’, ‘alarm-giving’, ‘lichen-packing’, ‘wind dancing’, ‘feather preening’, and ‘watch-as-you-step’. The painting Auspicious Cranes [瑞鹤图] by the Song Emperor Huizong (1082-1135) depicts twenty cranes appearing in flight above the Golden Gate (also known as the Chrysanthemum Gate) to the Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City. The much admired painting evokes a feeling that the cranes have been sent from heaven to celebrate Huizong’s reign, in a time when the court was at its highest splendour. By the 12th century, the Song imperial government owned more bird and flower paintings than any other subject, primarily within the Xuanhe Huapu (Song Imperial Catalogue).
The chrysanthemum is the city flower of Beijing and Kaifeng, and while traditionally cultivated for over 1600 years, their popularity reached a phenomenal level during the Song dynasty. Chrysanthemums, alongside a full moon, are frequently employed in ancient Chinese painting as a symbol to signify an autumn setting; the flowers bloom in September, and the ninth month is known as the Chrysanthemum Moon. To celebrate, on the ninth day of the ninth month, elaborate chrysanthemum parties were held, chrysanthemum liquor was consumed, and large displays of flowers were given to the emperor.
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