人物纹饰是明代景德镇陶瓷装饰中的一个重要类别，它在承继宋元经典的基础上，自明早中期渐呈鼎盛发展之态。明代景德镇生产的人物纹瓷不仅数量众多，题材类别亦极为丰富，依现有资料，本文将其分为四大类，其中既有虚幻的神话传说，也有源自史实的贤臣故事，既有表现日常生活的仕女婴戏，也有表达向往的高士隐逸。从图像发展的脉络来看，每一类图式都有相对明确的演变过程，在官方与民间的共同致力下，这些兼具古意与时代特征的图式沿着“模仿-改良-创新”的路径良性发展开来。本文使用图像学、社会学、设计学的理论揭示这一发展过程中的社会、经济、政治因素，亦对明代景德镇陶瓷人物纹饰的分期和艺术特征做了深入的探析。自1952年至2018年4月的考古学证据显示，人物纹瓷虽然并非明代墓葬中最为常见的陪葬品，但它却是行销海内外的重要生活日用瓷品类，尤其是在明中期以后，人物纹瓷不仅在陪葬数量上呈现出明显的上升趋势，还广泛地出现在了多个城市和沉船遗址中。结合传世品来看，明代景德镇陶瓷人物纹饰虽然题材丰富，但其所表达的内容和情节基本都可归于仙佛、婴戏、仕女、高士这四个类别下，在题材内涵上，所有的题材都在表达对美好生活向往的基础上另有侧重，其中仙佛、高士更重视想象的空间，婴戏、仕女更注重对现实生活的刻画。因此，它们指向的社会因素也各有侧重：宽容和多元的宗教政策推动仙佛题材在明中期达到鼎盛；传统家孝观念是仕女与婴戏题材在明代稳步前行的基础；诗学与儒学的世俗化转变则是晚明高士题材盛行的前提。当然，社会大环境的共性也深刻地影响了明代景德镇陶瓷人物纹饰的整体发展态势：公共权威影响力的逐渐减弱，使人物纹饰从明初的相关禁令中脱离出来，至中期以后逐渐成为景德镇陶瓷纹饰中的重要主题；统治阶级对于通俗文化的重视和推动不仅激发了市场，更直接强化了人物纹饰的叙事特征；市场经济和通俗文化的快速发展大大激发了景德镇陶瓷业主的生产热情，他们掌握了根据市场需求调整产品的诀窍，越来越熟练地使用标准粉本进行图式的改良与创造，以适应不同的消费需求。本文对明代景德镇陶瓷人物纹饰所进行的研究，不仅从图像学的角度分析其中的情节与内容，更试图通过社会学、设计学与考古学的资料重建此类产品的真实使用场景与状态，即置物于人的日常生活的关系之中。
As one of the important categories of ceramic decoration in Jingdezhen during the Ming dynasty, figure motifs inherit the classical designs from the Song and Yuan dynasty and display a strong momentum of development in the early and mid-Ming dynasty. The porcelain bearing figure motifs is large in quantities and exceptionally rich in themes. Based on the existing materials, the thesis will classify those themes into four categories, including mythological legends, daily scenes of noble women and children at play, and ideal life of seclusive scholars. Considering how images develop, each type of motifs has a comparatively specific process of evolution. With the joint efforts of official and non-governmental agencies, those motifs embodying both classical taste and characteristics of the times evolved soundly with the pattern of “imitation-improvement-innovation”. This thesis explains the social, economical and political factors during this process with such theories as iconography, sociology and design, and also explore different development stages of figure motifs on Jingdezhen ceramics in the Ming dynasty and their respective artistic features.As the archaeological evidence between 1952 and April 2018 indicates, even though porcelain with figure motifs was not the most commonly seen among the collection of grave goods, it’s the most popular household ceramics sold at home and abroad. Especially after the mid-Ming dynasty, excavation shows more porcelain with figure motifs was found at different burial sites, in multiple cities and shipwrecks. From the available antiques, the diverse themes of those figure motifs basically fall into four categories, namely immortals and Buddha, children at play, noble women, erudite scholars. As to the implied meaning of each theme, it all has different emphases except for the common wishes for a better life. Patterns relating to erudite scholars, immortals and Buddha might leave some room to the imagination; motifs of children and ladies vividly show how people live in the ancient times. Therefore, the social factors influencing the design of figure motifs are different. Motifs of immortals and Buddha peaked in the mid-Ming dynasty due to inclusive and diversified religious policies; motifs of beautiful ladies and lovely children reflects the traditional family values in the Ming dynasty; motifs of profound scholars prevailed for the popularization of poetics and Confucianism in the late Ming dynasty. Undoubtedly, common problems in the social environment also profoundly influenced the overall development of figure motifs on Jingdezhen ceramics in the Ming dynasty. As the impact of public authority gradually waned, relevant bans on figure motifs in the early Ming dynasty were lifted, which became the main theme of decoration after the mid-Ming dynasty; the ruling class valued and promoted the development of folk culture, stimulating the market and even enhancing the narrative features of figure motifs; the booming market economy immensely inspired the passion of production among proprietors of ceramic workshops, who knew too well how to tune their products based on the market demands and became increasingly adept at improving and innovating the original design of motifs to fit the needs of different consumers. The thesis focuses on figure motifs on Jingdezhen ceramics in the Ming dynasty, trying to analyze their plot and content from the perspective of iconography and rebuild the real scenario and states of using those ceramic products with the theories of sociology, design and archaeology―in other words, relate material objects to people’s daily life.
