The Paper learned that on January 19, 2022, the exhibition "Gods of the World - Images from the Temple and Tomb of the Descending Shanxi Temple in the Middle Ages" was exhibited at the Suzhou Wu Culture Museum, spanning the Tang and Song Dynasties, Jin Yuanming, focusing on tomb murals and brick carvings, temple murals and water and land paintings, with more than 100 cultural relics reflecting a concept of life and death and the state of life in the world in northern Shanxi in the Middle Ages. In particular, the Shanxi Museum's collection of Hao Smith's Golden Tomb Tomb was moved to the exhibition hall as a whole, and the audience could walk into the "world after the afterlife" constructed by the people of the Jin Dynasty.
Shanxi is 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.
The surging news learned that the special exhibition of the Wu Culture Museum, "Gods of the World - Images from the Temples and Tombs in the Middle Ages", exhibited more than 100 pieces (sets) of exhibits, mainly based on the long-term folk belief traditions of the Tang and Song Dynasties and Jin Yuanming and its material relics as the narrative framework, focusing on tomb murals and brick carvings, temple murals and water and land paintings, exploring the faith architecture, development and transformation of the grass-roots people in China. It is reported that the special exhibition is cooperated by the Wu Culture Museum with the Shanxi Museum, the Yuncheng Museum, and the Shanxi Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute.
Showroom scene
At the scene of the exhibition hall, the overall presentation of the Hao Smith Gold Tomb
Exhibition hall site, Hao Smith's Golden Tomb (partial)
Chen Zenglu, director of the Wu Culture Museum, told The Paper, "This exhibition involves murals on the ground and underground, and is rich in content, basically including the most typical above-ground temple murals and underground tomb murals in Shanxi (that is, Northern China) since the Tang and Song dynasties." In the general direction, the tomb murals since the Song and Yuan dynasties have a lot of continuity, which is related to some life scenes. These murals are related to their own burial space and the functional attributes of the burial space. The temple murals on the ground are different, showing some sacrifices and ceremonial activities. The temple images of the Tang Dynasty have a certain relationship with the Buddhist temple space, and after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, we can feel that the trend of the unity of the three religions is becoming more and more prominent, such as the Yanshan Temple and Guangsheng Temple presented in the exhibition. At the same time, the process of the unity of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism is actually the process of the formation of Chinese beliefs. Of course, in addition to the temple fair gods, there are also many living contents in the temple murals on the ground. ”
Multiple prayer tombs are revealed, and the tombs and images are displayed as a whole
The existing Chinese murals are mainly divided into two parts: the tomb murals under the ground and the temple murals on the ground. Among them, the content of 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, and the themes mostly involve religious stories and indoctrination of humanity, in order to build a sense of cultural identity among the people.
After the five dynasties of the late Tang Dynasty, the funerary concept of "treating death as life" became increasingly popular. Brick carved mural tomb has become one of the popular burial forms in northern China, according to the actual situation, brick masonry into an imitation wood structure of the underground courtyard, and painted to reflect the tomb owner's life scene of the mural, through the reconstruction and simulation of space, I hope that the deceased in another world can also live as if they were alive.
Hao Smith Jin Tomb, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), excavated in 2013 in Hao Smith Village, Jincheng District, Shanxi, shanxi museum collection
Video: Walk into the overall presentation of hao smith's golden tomb. Video footage courtesy of Wu Culture Museum Editor Lu Linhan (00:46)
In this unit, the biggest highlight is the display of the Shanxi Museum's collection of Hao Smith's Golden Tomb Tomb. 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. It is reported that this is also the first time that this tomb mural is fully displayed to the public.
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.
Hao Smith Gold Tomb
Tombstone (rubbing) of Hao Jianjin, 118.5 cm long and 66 cm wide, collection of The Shanxi Museum
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.
Why show the "Golden Tomb of Hao Smith" in its entirety? In this regard, Chen Zenglu said, "Hao Smith's Golden Tomb is a relatively new archaeological discovery, and it is also a very typical Jin Dynasty brick and wood, brick carved pavilion-style structure, in which a large number of brick carving images present themes including the twenty-four filial pieties and women's enlightenment that we are familiar with. This tomb mural also gives an insight into how the posthumous space of a deceased person was decorated and constructed. ”
On the overall relocation of tomb murals and displays, Chen Zenglu said, "It is not the first time that shanxi counterparts have done this. From the relocation of the murals of Yongle Palace in the early years to the relocation of the golden tomb of Hao Shang to the present, they have a lot of practical experience in the protection and relocation of tomb murals. The Golden Tomb of Hao Shang, which is now seen in the exhibition hall of the Wu Culture Museum, is first cut into pieces by the murals, and then assembled on a frame made of steel structures. Of course, the whole process is not easy, because the tomb murals as a whole are very large and very heavy, and the Shanxi Museum also provides very great support. ”
Miscellaneous drama murals, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), height 123 cm, width 117 cm, 1994 Pingding Xiguancun mural tomb excavated, Shanxi Museum collection
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 murals, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), height 158 cm, width 151 cm, excavated in 2007 In 2007, the Jin Dynasty mural tombs in Nanguan Village, Fanzhi, were excavated, and collected by the Shanxi Museum
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.
Brick carving of the woman opening the door, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), height 43 cm, width 35 cm, thickness 8 cm, excavated from 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.
"Shehuo" lion dance brick carving, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), height 23 cm, width 33 cm, thickness 4.5 cm, excavated in 1981 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, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), height 18 cm, width 24 cm, thickness 4.5 cm, excavated in 1981 in Xindi County, Shanxi Province, Nanfan Zhuang Jin Tomb
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 world's gods are viewed on the wall, and the images familiar in the history of art are familiar
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. Stepping into it, the temple-viewed painted statues and frescoed gods will bring a deep shock to the devout worshippers, and then produce special religious feelings.
There are many kinds of ancient murals in Shanxi, and the area is large, second only to the Dunhuang murals in scale. Among them, the temple murals of the Tang and Ming dynasties now have more than 7,000 square meters, distributed in more than 70 temples, and include buddhist temples, Taoist temples, local gods and other different religious categories. Its content themes, in addition to religion, the wonderful secular life is also recorded, so it has important historical significance and research value in society, religion, architecture, art and other aspects.
The exhibition displays the facsimiles of the largest Shanxi murals in a relatively complete system, and selects nearly 40 temple murals copied by the Shanxi Museum from 1974 to 1975, and its content basically covers the Tang and Song Dynasties, Jin Yuanming periods. The overall level of these facsimiles is high, which makes up for the current limitations of the original murals in conservation, and is of great value for academic research. Chen Zenglu told reporters, "From Yongle Palace, to Guangsheng Temple, to Yanshan Temple and other familiar images in the history of art." In addition, the mural images in the Foguang Temple of the Tang Dynasty actually represent the higher level of the Tang Dynasty temple murals. ”
Descending Demon Map, Tang Dynasty (618-907), copied in the East Hall of Foguang Temple in 1974, 31 cm in length and 148 cm in width, collected by The Shanxi Museum
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".
Prince Bunsheng of Good Deeds (Partial), Song Dynasty (960-1279), 144 cm in length and 200 cm in width, copied in 1974 at Kaihua Temple in Gaoping, shanxi museum collection
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.
Restaurant City Map, Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), length 93 cm, width 92 cm, copied in 1975 in FanzhiYanshan Temple, Shanxi Museum collection
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 Manjushri Hall of Yanshan Temple, the picture of the restaurant is built by the water, shaped like a square pavilion, the wine curtain is hanging high, and the book "Wildflowers drill out of the ground, the village wine penetrates the bottle" 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".
Selling fish, Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), copied in 1974 in the Hongdong Guangsheng Temple Water Temple, 378 cm in length, 202 cm in width, shanxi museum collection
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, Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), height 220 cm, width 216 cm, Shanxi Province Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute collection
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.
The unity of the three religions on land and water is the embodiment of the collection of faith
Water and land painting is a religious painting hanging when ancient monasteries or private people hold water and land festivals on the mainland, and is one of the indispensable holy relics when the water and land festivals are held, which are painted with Buddha, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Shinto of all parties, various figures in human society, etc. The painting subjects are wide-ranging, all-encompassing, from gods and Buddhas to ordinary people, forming their own independent and rich image system, which has important research value in the history of Chinese Confucianism, the history of the unity of the three religions, and the history of painting.
For the display of water and land paintings, Chen Zenglu explained, "Previously, some ritual and sacrificial activities were completed in a specific space, and the emergence of water and land paintings actually gave these activities a malleability. When the ancients arranged the water and land paintings in an architectural space, they could hold important sacrifices or festivals. Therefore, these images are closely related to our daily lives. ”
Our Lady of Wang Xian, Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), 89 cm in length and 69.5 cm in width, copied in 1974 at Qinglong Temple in Jishan And collected by the Shanxi Museum
Qinglong Temple was built in the second year of Longshuo (662) in the Tang Dynasty, and most of the surviving yuan and Ming remains. The picture of our lady of Wang Xian is located in the east wall of the waist hall of Qinglong Temple, which is a part of the "water and land painting" of the four walls of the waist hall, and the east wall is painted by the 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 are fluttering, and it is vivid, inheriting the painting expression skills since the Tang and Song dynasties on the mainland.
Baoning Temple to the ancient concubine harem concubines and other people,Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), 116.2 cm in length, 60.9 cm in width, shanxi museum collection
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 of Baoning Monastery, His Holiness the Naga Rhinoceros, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), 119.4 cm in length and 61.7 cm in width, in the collection of the Shanxi Museum
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, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), 134 cm in length, 99 cm in width, preserved in Yuncheng Museum
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".
The King of Heaven sends a child figure
Shakyamuni Buddha
The combination of cultural relics and digitalization shows the evolution of art in many ways
The reporter learned that another feature of this exhibition is the combination of digital presentation and physical cultural relics. The exhibition starts from the image, using multimedia means such as video, VR, and virtual reality technology to restore the image and the spatial relationship between the image and the original building.
Exhibition hall site, cultural relics and digital multimedia
Exhibition hall scene, murals and architectural models
"We hope that when the audience looks at the exhibition images, they can feel where the specific locations of these images are located." At the same time, we hope to connect these images and social values, the lives of ordinary people, and the formation of Chinese beliefs. In addition to digitization, the exhibition also exhibits many architectural models, such as Iwaki Temple, Foguang Temple, etc. Architectural models, coupled with artifacts, images and digitization, allow the audience to understand the development of these murals in an immersive way. The organizer said.
It is reported that the Wu Culture Museum will plan relevant theme reading salons, academic lectures, educational activities, etc. for different audience groups during the exhibition, link online and offline, and view the "historical picture of the above and underground" from multiple angles such as the mural itself and the protection and restoration of the mural.
The exhibition will be on view until April 18, 2022.