torians regard the early Tang dynasty as the golden age of Chinese fig-
ure painting. In perfect accord with contemporary and later Chinese
poets’ and critics’ glowing descriptions of Tang painting style are the
unrestored portions ofThe Thirteen Emperors (FIG. 7-17), a master-
piece of line drawing and colored washes. The painting has long been
attributed to Yan Liben(d. 673). Born into an aristocratic family and
the son of a famous artist, Yan Liben was prime minister under the
emperor Gaozong as well as a celebrated painter. This handscroll de-
picts 13 Chinese rulers from the Han to the Sui dynasties. Its purpose
was to portray these historical figures as exemplars of moral and po-
litical virtue, in keeping with the Confucian ideal of learning from the
past. Each emperor stands or sits in an undefined space. The em-
peror’s great size relative to his attendants immediately establishes his
superior stature. Simple shading in the faces and the robes gives the
figures an added semblance of volume and presence.
The detail in FIG. 7-17represents the emperor Xuan of the Chen
dynasty (557–589) seated among his attendants, two of whom carry
the ceremonial fans that signify his rank and focus the viewer’s at-
tention on him. Xuan stands out from the others also because of his
dark robes. His majestic serenity contrasts with his attendants’ ani-
mated poses, which vary sharply from figure to figure, lending vital-
ity to the composition.
TOMB OF YONGTAI Wall paintings in the tomb of the Tang
princess Yongtai (684–701) at Qianxian, near Chang’an, permit an
analysis of court painting styles unobscured by problems of authentic-
ity and reconstruction. When she was 17 years old, Yongtai was either
7-18Palace ladies, detail of a wall painting, tomb of Princess Yongtai, Qianxian, China, Tang dynasty, 706.
Detail 5 10 high.
The paintings in this Tang princess’s tomb depict scenes of pleasant court life. The muralist used thick, even
contour lines and did not provide any setting, but the composition effectively conveys depth.China 195murdered or forced to commit suicide by Wu Zetian. Her under-
ground tomb dates to 706, however, because her formal burial had to
await Wu Zetian’s own death. The detail illustrated here (FIG. 7-18)
depicts palace ladies and their attendants, images of pleasant court life
to accompany the princess into her afterlife. The figures appear as if on
a shallow stage. The artist did not provide any indications of back-
ground or setting, but intervals between the two rows and the figures’
grouping in an oval suggest a consistent ground plane. The women as-
sume a variety of poses, seen in full-face and in three-quarter views,
from the front or the back. The device of paired figures facing into and
out of the space of the picture appears often in paintings of this period
and effectively conveys depth. Thick, even contour lines describe full-
volumed faces and suggest solid forms beneath the drapery, all with
the utmost economy. This simplicity of form and line, along with the
measured cadence of the poses, creates an air of monumental dignity.
TANG CERAMIC SCULPTURE Tang ceramists also achieved
renown and produced thousands of earthenware figures of people,
domesticated animals, and fantastic creatures for burial in tombs.
These statuettes attest to a demand for ceramic sculpture by a much
wider group of patrons than ever before, but terracotta funerary
sculpture has a long history in China. The most spectacular example
is the ceramic army (FIG. 7-6) of the First Emperor of Qin. The sub-
jects of the Tang figurines are also much more diverse than in earlier
periods. The depiction of a broad range of foreigners, including
Semitic traders and Central Asian musicians on camels, accurately
reflects the cosmopolitanism of Tang China.1 ft.