Grandeur, abundance, panache
Mounting with care and flourish
Reaching the scroll itself, the most prominent element is likely to be a jade or ivory clasp attached to the end of a cloth band that wraps round the scroll and holds it tightly bound. Beneath the band, the outer later of the scroll is visible - often a piece of antique brocade, hard and glittering. Prominent too is a titleslip, naming the contents like a title on the spine of a book. The titleslip is also an occasion for suggesting the quality of what lies within, and so one often finds the title written in the hand of a notable connoisseur or collector, with some phrase about the ‘matchless quality’ of the piece added after the title itself.
As the scroll unrolls, the first few sections that meet the eye are often no more than good brocade, but sometimes also a decorative paper, such as this one painted in gold on blue. This is really only artisanal production - something like the brocade – and in no way meant to compete with the painting that follows it. Passing by this, one then reaches a frontispiece and the major parts of the scroll (being what we typically see published.)
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