Since the Middle Ages, with the vitality of the commodity economy and the rise of urban culture, folk beliefs and concepts have changed. As a place to express the multiple wishes of the deceased and the living, tombs and temples, underground and aboveground, have gradually formed a set of pictorial art systems with rich connotations that are different from literati paintings, which can be called treasures of folk art.
Shanxi, located in the intertwined area of traditional Central Plains and nomadic culture, thanks to the natural environment of the mountains and rivers in the table, in the development of thousands of years, a large number of material relics reflecting social life, religious culture and folk beliefs have been left behind, which have been well preserved so far, and have unique historical, artistic and research values.
This time, the Wu Culture Museum joined hands with the Shanxi Museum, the Yuncheng Museum, and the Shanxi Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute to select more than 100 cultural relics exhibits. Spanning the Tang and Song dynasties, Jin Yuanming, focusing on tomb murals and brick carvings, temple murals and water and land paintings, it explores the faith architecture, development and transformation of the grass-roots people in China. The exhibition "Gods of the World: Images in The Temples and Tombs of Shanxi in the Middle Ages" will lead the audience to take a glimpse of traditional Chinese tombs and temple culture and social life.
Multiple prayers appear in the tomb
Under universal values, people believe that the tomb is the place where the body of the deceased is placed, which undertakes the function of communicating life and death, connecting the earth and the heavenly world, but in fact, it can also be understood as a collection of art forms such as architecture, painting, sculpture, arts and crafts, and practical functions and artistic values.
One of the biggest highlights of this exhibition is the display of the tomb chamber of the Golden Tomb of Hao Smith in the Shanxi Museum. This representative tomb of brick carvings and murals of the Jin Dynasty was relocated to the exhibition hall as a whole, and the audience can walk into it to see the "afterlife world" constructed by the people of the Jin Dynasty.
Hao Smith Gold Tomb
Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)
Length 605 cm, width 321 cm, height 300 cm
In 2013, haosmith village in Jincheng District, Shanxi Province, was excavated
Collection of Shanxi Museum
Hao Smith's Golden Tomb (M1) is a two-chamber brick tomb before and after, and the burial chamber is composed of four parts: the tomb door, the front chamber, the Yongdao and the rear chamber. The burial chamber is a typical brick imitation wood structure double chamber tomb, the tomb room imitates the real architectural space, with tomb bricks and painted paintings to express the architectural structure, such as the leaning pillars, bucket arches, beams, doors and windows in ancient buildings.
Epitaph of Hao Jianjin 's tomb (rubbing)
Length 118.5cm, width 66cm
This is an epitaph excavated from the Golden Tomb of Hao Smith, with a full text of about 500 words. The Zhiwen shows that the owner of the tomb was named Guo Yongjian, who lived in Jincheng, Zezhou, and died in the fifteenth year of Jin Dading (1175), thus providing an accurate chronology for the tomb. The inscription also describes the family lineage, life, wife and children of the tomb owner, and the burial site, which is an important material for studying the local history of the Jin Dynasty.
The existing Chinese murals are mainly divided into two parts: the tomb murals under the ground and the temple murals on the ground. The content of the tomb murals is mostly related to the life and death of the tomb owner, often involving feasts, operas, filial piety and other themes, with a strong atmosphere of life; while the temple murals are based in the folk, carrying the function of standardizing people's behavior and sustenance of people's beliefs, the themes mostly involve religious stories, indoctrination of human morality, in order to build a sense of cultural identity among the people.
Miscellaneous opera illustration murals
Height 123 cm, width 117 cm
In 1994, the mural tomb of Pingding XiguanCun was excavated
The wall is painted with five men performing a play. In the center of the picture stands upright a person in official costume, wearing a black outstretched foot, holding a wat board in both hands on his chest, and looking solemn and solemn. The remaining four are either armed with drumsticks or have funny makeup, and their looks and movements are witty, which contrasts sharply with the stern protagonist and highlights the drama in the picture.
Shitu Qingyun mural
Height 158 cm, width 151 cm
In 2007, the Jin Dynasty mural tomb in Nanguan Village was excavated
This group of tomb murals, including the tomb door, has a total of six groups of spaces, the tomb door is located in the south, and the murals are divided into the southwest wall, northwest wall, north wall, northeast wall, and southeast wall of the tomb, and each mural has a closed window or door in the middle. Taking Shitu Qingyun as an example, on the right side of the diamond-shaped lattice window is a civilian official wearing a long-winged official hat and a round neck robe, sitting in front of the screen, and there is a stack of official documents on the table. Behind him are the branches of ink bamboo. On the left, five maids and a bearded waiter, holding corals, bags, bronze mirrors, slag buckets and other objects, are slowly coming to the civil service, reflecting the life of a wealthy eunuch.
The woman opens the door to the brick carving
Height 43cm, width 35cm, thickness 8cm
Unearthed in Jishan County, Shanxi Province
The opening of the door of the woman is a common image theme in the tomb of Song Jin, which is manifested as the door micro-opening, the woman leans half behind the door leaf, holds the door frame, looks out of the door, the clothes and hair bun are clearly visible, the figure is wearing a long gown with narrow sleeves, a long skirt, and a single bun.
During the Song and Jin dynasties, the commodity economy in Shanxi was prosperous, there were many kinds of hundreds of plays in the urban tiles, and performance forms such as social fire flourished in the countryside, which became the focus of the development of northern drama at that time. Under the influence of the concept of "death is like life", the lively opera performance is brought into the tomb in the form of brick carving, so that the deceased can continue to enjoy the joy of the world.
"Social Fire" lion dance brick carving
Height 23cm, width 33cm, thickness 4.5cm
In 1981, it was excavated in Nanfanzhuang, Xindi County, Shanxi Province
The lion shape is beautiful. The six children either wear their heads, comb their buns, wear small jackets and narrow pants, and dance with the big lions. There are two children in front of the lion, one of whom strikes the gong to open the road, and the other holds the reins; in the belly of the lion, there are two children in the abdomen, dressed as the front and back legs of the lion; the other two children hold hydrangeas in both hands and surround the lion queen. This brick carving is vivid and rare in the tombs of the Jin Dynasty.
In the world, filial piety culture is an important part of China's traditional folk culture and has social significance to promote the indoctrination of the people. The image of filial piety has continued to evolve since its appearance during the Eastern Han Dynasty, and this exhibition will feature a set of brick sculptures reflecting filial piety figures, intended to give the audience a glimpse of the twenty-four filial piety themes presented in the tombs of the Song and Jin dynasties.
Twenty-four filial pieties - Mengzong weeping bamboo shoot brick carving
Height 18cm, width 24cm, thickness 4.5cm
In 1981, the tomb of Nanfan Zhuangjin in Xindi County, Shanxi Province was excavated
When MengZong was young, his father left the world, his mother was sick, he wanted fresh bamboo shoots to cook soup to eat, it was a cold winter, the bamboo shoots had not yet been born, Meng Zong did not know what to do, ran to the bamboo forest to hold the bamboo and cry about the pain in his heart, his filial piety touched the heavens and the earth, bamboo shoots were born in the ground, he took it home and made soup for his mother to eat, cured his mother's illness.
The gods of the world are on the wall
The grand view of the frescoes is the temple. With its huge volume and superb painting skills, the temple murals interpret the unique charm of Chinese religious art. We have reason to believe that stepping into it, facing the temple statues and fresco gods high above, the devout worshippers will have a deep shock in their hearts, and then a special sense of belonging.
Descending magic map
Tang Dynasty (618-907)
In 1974, it was copied in the East Hall of Foguang Temple
Length 31 cm, width 148 cm
Foguang Temple was founded during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and became a famous Buddhist temple during the Tang Dynasty. The original facsimile was sealed by an adobe wall until it was discovered after the demolition of the adobe wall in 1964, and this mural depicts images of the King, the Goddess, the Lux, the Ghost, the Monkey, and the Green Dragon. The color of the picture is simple and light, and the characters painted are vivid and flexible, and indeed have the Tang Dynasty painting style of "scorched ink and pastel".
Good Deed Prince Bunsen Sutra Transformation Diagram (Partial)
Song Dynasty (960-1279)
Length 144 cm, width 200 cm
In 1974, he copied it at Gaoping Kaihua Temple
Kaihua Temple was founded during the Northern Qi Dynasty. The murals on the east, west and north walls of the Daxiong Treasure Hall in the temple were created in the third year of the Northern Song Dynasty (1096). The original facsimile is located in the middle of the west wall, the story is from the "Great Convenience Buddha Reward Grace Sutra", depicting the prince of good deeds and accompanying him to watch the folk farmers ploughing the fields, silkworm women weaving, fishermen hunting fish, butchers selling meat and other scenes reflecting secular life, in this scene of silkworm women weaving, the image of the Song Dynasty spinning wheel and loom is clear, and it has become a precious image material for the study of textile science and technology in the Song Dynasty.
Map of the restaurant city
Length 93 cm, width 92 cm
In 1975, he copied it at FanzhiYanshan Temple
The Wenshu Hall of the Shanxi Museum was completed in the seventh year of Jin Dading (1167), the four walls are painted with Jin Dynasty murals, the original work is located in the south corner of the west wall of the Wenshu Hall of the Yanshan Temple, the picture of the restaurant is built by the water, shaped like a square pavilion, the wine curtain is high, and the book "Wildflowers drill out of the ground, the village wine penetrates the bottle incense" to attract customers. In the building, there are many people who drink tea, rap and sell art, and enjoy the scenery by the column. Vendors gather outside the building, and people of all colors are bustling. This secular scene truly reflects the social landscape of the time, and can be called "the Qingming River Map on the Wall".
Sell fish charts
Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368)
In 1974, he copied it at the Water Temple of Guangsheng Temple in Hongdong
Length 378 cm, width 202 cm
Guangsheng Temple was founded in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the whole temple is divided into three places: the upper temple, the lower temple and the water temple. Among them, the Water Temple was originally created in the Tang Dynasty, and the existing building was rebuilt in the sixth year of Yuan Yanyou (1319), which is a custom temple that prays for the wind and rain to be smooth. Located on the north side of the east wall of the Mingying King's Hall of the Water Temple, the "Fish Selling Map" shows the scene of the officials of the Water God's Inner House trading with the fisherman. Five officials wearing black gauze hats, robes and jade belts around their waists are depicted eating in the courtyard, and an elderly fisherman sells fresh fish to one of them. This figure can be regarded as a microcosm of the social life of the Yuan Dynasty, and it is a masterpiece with a great sense of life.
Yongle Palace Pure Yang Hall Partridge Kiss
Height 220 cm, width 216 cm
Collection of The Mural Conservation Institute of Yongle Palace in Shanxi Province
Yongle Palace, also known as "Pure Yang Palace", is a group of Taoist buildings. This is the East Partridge of the Pure Yang Hall of Yongle Palace, which was replaced by the yongle Palace in the 1960s when it was relocated as a whole, with exaggerated shape and bright glaze. The Yuan Dynasty was the initial period of the dragon-themed partridge kiss, which set a precedent for the various forms of dragon kisses in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Three religions in one land and water
Legend has it that it originated in the Xiaoliang period of the Southern Dynasty, and has a certain scale during the late Tang Dynasty. Water and land paintings are religious paintings hanging when ancient monasteries or private people hold water and land festivals in China, which are painted with Buddhas, Taoists, Confucian Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Shinto from all sides, and various figures from human society, etc., with a wide range of painting themes and all kinds of all-encompassing themes.
Picture of our Lady of the Immortals
Length 89 cm, width 69.5 cm
In 1974, he copied it at Kishinji Temple
Qinglong Temple was built in the second year of Longshuo (662) in the Tang Dynasty, and most of the surviving yuan and Ming remains. Our Lady of Wang Xian is located in the east wall of the waist hall of Qinglong Temple, which is the part of the "water and land painting" of the four walls of the waist hall, and the east wall is painted with mostly Daomen immortals, which are used to dominate the natural world of heaven and earth and the auspicious and evil blessings in human life, the painting is soft and harmonious, the shape is beautiful, the clothes and ornaments are fluttering, and it is vivid, inheriting the painting expression skills since the Tang and Song dynasties in China.
Baoning Temple to the ancient concubine harem concubines and other public figures
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Length 116.2 cm, width 60.9 cm
Baoning Temple is a large temple in Youyu County, Shanxi Province. According to the inscription of the Tenth Year of Ming Chenghua (1474), Baoning Temple was founded in the fourth year of Emperor Mingying's Tianshun (1460), and there were originally 136 Ming Dynasty water and land paintings in the temple, which are composed of figure paintings reflecting the gods of the Taoists, secular figures and social life, and the characters of the three religions are complete. This painting is dominated by the first person on the left, the queen concubine dresser, and the palace concubine waitress stands behind. The women in the painting are all richly dressed and solemn, rendering the solemn atmosphere in the ancient court.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and His Holiness naga at Po Ninh Monastery
Length 119.4 cm, width 61.7 cm
The painting depicts two Arhats sitting under a palm tree, and an elderly figure sitting on a rock futon in a robe in the upper part, with one hand in one hand and his eyes looking out. On the stone next to it, there is a prayer letter and a pot. In the lower part, a young venerable sat together on a rock carpet. The two Figures have different postures and different looks.
"Vesta" water and land painting axis
Length 134 cm, width 99 cm
Yuncheng Museum exists
Wulu Village, Wenxi County, Shanxi Province, has a Temple of Jiwang in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and there was a Taoist water and land painting from the late Ming Dynasty in the Water and Land Hall, with 41 existing paintings, which can be divided into five categories: the three Qing statues of the main taoist gods, the Chaoyuan Immortal Battle Map, the Taoist gods, the Taoist protector gods, and the portraits of the Dao chiefs. Artistically inheriting the legacy of the Tang and Song Dynasties, the characters have han official weiyi, and they are also painted with heavy colors with their brushes, and they are magnificent and exquisite in one, which is a precious Taoist theme of water and land paintings.
"Vesta God", according to legend, is the son of the Jade Emperor, from the management of the family's food to the peace and blessing of the main family, and once a year to the heavens to pray to the Jade Emperor, so the folk sacrifices hope that he "the heavens say good things, and the netherworld will ensure peace".
In the long years of nearly a thousand years, these gods and Buddhist beliefs revealed in temples and tombs have continued to be absorbed and integrated, and finally, the traditional Chinese folk belief system characterized by the "unity of the three religions" has been preserved in these unique material relics and sacred pictorial art.
From January 19th, visitors and friends are welcome to visit the Wu Culture Museum's "Gods of the World - Images in the Temples and Tombs of Shanxi in the Middle Ages", stepping into the narrative space of hundreds of years ago, observing the vivid practice of folk beliefs in the Shanxi region of northern China, feeling the interaction between religion and individuals, understanding the connection between faith and society, and looking back at the spiritual homeland of the past.
【Special Exhibition Information】
Exhibition Title: Gods of the World - Images from the Temple and Tombs of the Descending Shanxi Temple in the Middle Ages
Exhibition time: January 19, 2022 - April 18, 2022
Exhibition venue: The first special exhibition hall of Wu Culture Museum
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (Tuesday to Sunday) Open on Mondays and holidays
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