Title: T-Shaped Painting on Silk
Creator: Unknown
Date: 9 AD
Period: Western Han Dynasty
Location: Changsha, Hunan Province, China
Culture: Chinese
Materials: colors on silk
Dimensions: 205 cm Height, 92 cm, 47.7 cm Width (upper, bottom)
Repository: Hunan Provincial Museum
This piece once served as a funeral banner and was found in the Mawangdui Tombs in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. The banner was laid on the inner-most coffin within the tomb. This piece shows excellent painting technique and is quite colorful compared to the other painting of its time. The elaborate scene, the colors, and the detail all make this a remarkably striking piece.
The painting displays the way the ancient people perceived the concepts of Heaven, the human world, and the Netherworld. In the upper Heaven section, we see celestial objects, deities and animals. Some animals we see are two dragons flying, a crow in the sun and a toad on the moon. These all play a role in the mythology and beliefs of the time.
In the section of the human world we see the occupant of the grave this is found on, Lady Xinzhui, approaching the gates of Heaven with her servants. In the section of the Netherworld we see more figures and animals that further align with their mythology and understanding of the afterlife. We see more dragons, who now have fiercer expressions. We also see a red man holding up a platform with other humans on it. That man is surrounded by beasts.
References: https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/t-shaped-painting-on-silk-unknown/awGXKDnVvhEzuQ
http://61.187.53.122/collection.aspx?id=1348&lang=en
https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/1801108872/
