A voice from history:Pliny the Elder.(Long)
marco favero
Hi all folks,
"Diu fuere occulta eius beneficia,summumque munus homini datum arbores silvaeque
intellegebantur.Hinc primum alimenta,harum fronde mollior specus,libro
vestis;etiam nunc gentes sic degunt.Quo magis ac magis admirari subit his a
principiis caedi montes in marmora,vestes ad_SERAS_peti,unionem in Rubri
maris profunda,zmaragdum in ima tellure quaeri.Ad hoc excogitata sunt aurium
vulnera, nimirum quoniam parum erat collo,crimbus,manibus gestari,nisi
infoderentur etiam corpori.Quam ob rem sequi par est ordinem vitae et
arbores ante alia dicere ac moribus primordia ingerere nostris." (Historia
naturalis XII book,1-2).
(For many time his benefits(of natura's works)stayed hidden,and trees and woods
considered themselves the greatest gift gived to man.From them in origin he
got own food,their leafy branchs maked softer caves,and their barks served for
clothes.Still now there are many peoples who live so.Therefore as more we are
amazed,in spite that origins,that today one cuts mountains in block of marble,
one comes to take clothes in country of_SERI_(i.e. Chinese people;Pliny quotes
them many times to VI book,54,particurarly in silk production),one comes to
search the pearl in depth of Red sea and the emerald in bowels of earth.
And moreover someone invented style of to perforate ears;it wasn't enough,it
is clear,to wear jewels to neck,between hairs or to hands,they was to be
drive also in body.for that reasons it is good to follow development of
human life and to speak above all of trees,fashioning our behavior to origins).
That is prologue to XII book of Historia naturalis writed by Pliny the Elder
(23 A.D.-79 A.D.):from XII to XXVII he speaks of Botanic with many notions of
vegetal world in general,of trees in particular(exotic plants,olives,vines,and
other plants known in roman world),of their products and of their healing
properties.Others books deal I-VI Cosmology and Geography,VII-XI Anthropology
and Zoology,XXVIII-XXXII Medicine and Pharmacology,XXXIII-XXXVII Mineralogy and
Art's History.
As you read in prologue,Pliny declares romans traded with Chinese for silk
probably through indian or persan merchants(sorry Geoline,you was right),but
i think not they have direct contact with theirs.
But that that is much more interesting,Pliny described,later on, all notions
which we all know good,as to make miniature trees or repotting and relative
shock or grafting;i suggest you a choice of passages in latin:
"Namque et chamaeplatani vocantur coactae brevitatis,quoniam arborum etiam
abortus invenimus.Hoc quoque ergo in genere pumilionum infelicitas dicta erit.
Fit autem et serendi genere et recidenti.Primus C. Natius,ex equestri
ordine,Divi Augusti amicus,invenit nemora tonsilia intra hos LXXX annos."
(There are also planes named dwarfs,which are forced artificially to stay
with small height,because we have invented abortion for trees.Also speaking of
arboreous species,we must remember unlucky destiny of dwarfs,which are so as
for planting as for cutting:Primus C. Natius(son of Cicero's friend),ex
equestrian
order,Divine Augustus friend,invented art of cutting woods in different styles
80 yrs ago).
"Temptavere gentes transferre ad sese Malum Assyria propter remedii praestantiam
fictilibus in vasis,dato per cavernas radicibus spiramento,qualiter omnia
transitura longius seri aptissime transferrique meminisse conveniet,ut semel
quaeque dicantur."
(Some people tried to repotting in their country Citrus medica for his healing
properties,transferring it in terracotta pots in which they practised holes
why roots can breathe,a procedure which it will be necessary to remember,i speak
of that one time forever,which rightest way for transfers and repotting whatever
vegetal species to long distance).
There are also notions of layers,of styles of trees,but for to not annoy you
excessively,i prefer to continue with general comments to that knowledge.
it is certain that origin of bonsai art is Chinese before and Japanese after,
but one must not forget that other civilizations before China known some notions
on growth of trees in pot:i.e. ancient Greeks(look at Theophrastus-plants'
history),Babylonians,Persians,Hindu,Egiptians and old populations of europe.
Maybe idea of to grow trees in pot,it was a necessity when people must change
home and transfer own property.In Egipt,there are proofs that,4000 yrs ago,
trees grown in pot excavated in rock;in temples of Nebhepet of king Mentuhopte
(2061-2010 B.C.)to Deir el-Bahri near town of Thebes there are interesting
examples: in a figure of temple one can see trees transferred in pots from
Punt(Somalia)to Egipt for to be used in gardens of Queen Hatshepsut.
Pharaoh Rameses III gives 514 plants in pot to temple.
An other example there is in India:technique of miniature tree was known
here much time before but for different purposes,such science was named
Vaamantanu
Vrikshaadi Vidya(Vaaman=prevent growth;tanu=body;Vrikshaadi=of trees;
Vydia=science)While for Japanese bonsai was a decorative arts,Ayerdevic doctors
used trees as Ficus of Banien,Peepul,Tamarind,Neem,Acacia etc.. for to care
human diseases;the five parts of that trees(Panchaanga)i.e root,flower,bark,
leave and fruit was utilized in ayervedic treatments.these doctors must have
always fresh Panchaanga for their curative necessities,so they grown in pot
that plants.
Ornamental plants was used as topiary in Westmorland between 16 and 17th
century:there is still now in England Levin's hall to witness of that technique.
In China,for reasons of practicalness,trees was grown in pot during ceremonies
and sundays of chinese year:with new moon year,as it was in the habit of doing
one apricot in bloom was exposed in home.in gardens of dinasties Hsia,Shang,Chou
(2205 B.C.-255 B.C.)there was much wonderful examples of that customs,as garden
Yow,garden Luk and garden Ling:witness of that gardens are in writings of Hang
dinasty(206 B.C.-221 A.D.).
Ideogramm Pun-Sai appears first time during Tsin-Chin dinasty(265-420 A.D.).
In tomb of a noble of Tang dinasty died in 705 A.D. a painting on a wall
represents two men who bring a landscape in pot with rocks and trees and anoter
pot to lotus flower's form with a small tree.
But true cultivation of bonsai have had large diffusion during Tang dinasty
(620-907 A.D.)which can be considerated as Chinese Renaissance(look to paintings
in tomb of Prince Zhang Huai near Xi'an).
in last period of Sung dinasty(960-1280 A.D.)China is considered a declining
nation:in that period ceremonies,rites and thaoist superstitions spread,and to
trees in pot one added rocks and figures for to create miniature landscapes
named before Pun-wan,which today we know as Bonkei.
Paintings of Tang and Sung period represent plants in pot like pine,cypress,
plum,orchid,chrysanthemun and bamboo.
The term pun-wan changed during Yuan dinasty(1280-1368)in Shea tzu ching,and
after in Pun-Ching(plants in pot with landscape)between end of Ming dinasty
(1368-1644 A.D)and beginning of Ching(1644-1911):in that time begun to outline
cultivation schools and styles.In 1688 in a book of botanic'Pi-chuan Huaching'
practice of cultivation of small tree was named Pen-tsai and after in Chinese
ideogramms name bonsai become definitive.
(Chinese schools and Japanese art of bonsai maybe in other post,if i have time
and if you want to know).
I asked myself a question:why all that peoples who knew approximately same
techniques of growth arn't come to same results?answer isn't easy,we can only
think that that is due to different approach to life's philosophy:in West world
man is to center of universe,while in East world center is nature;that concept
produced a giving up of our origins,as already then Pliny said,privileging
exploitations of natural resources within ecologic agreement and sensitiveness.
In east world whole generations have been educated to respect of nature and
his resources,to knowledge of natural phenomena(Phenology of Geoline)for to
harmonize with it and to increase love for own natural environment.Consequently
East people developed fine and ardent love of trees,landscapes and natural
phenomena(look to Chinese and Japanese Myths),and next step was to have in home
the symbols of nature for to not break off that deep tie with it.
historia magistra vitae(history life's teacher).
Many thanks for your attention and please excuse me if i annoyed you.
regards
marco
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In article <961108004...@inrete.it>, marco favero <fav...@INRETE.IT>
writes:
<~~chain saw used to chop out all the good parts>
>historia magistra vitae(history life's teacher).
>
>Many thanks for your attention and please excuse me if i annoyed you.
>
>regards
>
>marco
Marco;
Great post! I had been wondering if the cultivation of trees in
containers didn't go back to a distant past long before the art came in to
it. Very interesting, thanks!
John Ellison, Police Dispatcher (pretty cool huh?), Flagstaff, AZ
When I tires of snow,
Desert's scrub's a short drive off.
Where I don't need snow tires.
(A haiku by me! But maybe I shouldn't admit it?)