introduction
In the Tang Dynasty, it was popular to use fabric as decoration on the collar, cuffs, placket and other parts of the robe, and this costume Xi custom is also seen in Sogdian murals in Central Asia, and the two should be closely related.
Through the comparison of images, it is pointed out that this Xi has appeared in the Northern Qi Dynasty, and it is mostly decorated on the upper arms of the sleeves, and the edges of the robe are also decorated with beaded fabrics.
1. The Xi of partially decorating fabrics in robes and costumes seen in Northern Qi and Tang cultural relics
sew a circle of brocade or other fabric as a decoration. In addition, in the mural of the tomb road of the tomb of Lourong in the Northern Qi Dynasty of Taiyuan, the upper arm of the sleeve of the round-necked robe of the woman wearing men's clothes and riding horses is also decorated with a circle of beads.
The three women on the left side of the tomb owner's and his wife's feasting and drinking seem to have been decorated in this way on the same part of their robes. The above are examples of decorative fabrics on the sleeves and upper arms of the robes of the Northern Qi Dynasty seen in the unearthed cultural relics, all of which are found in women's clothing.
This kind of clothing Xi with a circle of beads on the upper arm of the sleeve as decoration, special decorative parts and the beaded pattern used are different from the Han decorative tradition.
But the ripples are not traditional ornamentation, but originated in ancient India. The white fur coat seen in the portrait of the tomb owner Xu Xianxiu is delicately depicted, and the "Biography of the Southern History: The Legend of the Slippery Kingdom" records that the slippery kingdom (嚈da) sent an envoy to offer the yellow lion, the white sable qiu, and Mr. Bo Zhengyan has pointed out that it may be the "white sable qiu" recorded in the literature.
It can be seen that the costumes of Xu Xianxiu and his wife contain more foreign cultural factors, which also proves that the beaded pattern on the upper arm of the sleeve should be more special.
In addition, the hem and skirt of the robe and skirt of the braided maid statue in the mural of Xu Xianxiu's tomb are all decorated with beaded Bodhisattva pattern fabric.
This hairstyle can also be seen in the stone burial utensils of the Suzu people in the Northern Dynasty and many Hu figurines in the Tang Dynasty, which was influenced by the Sogdians who entered China. The decorative parts of the edges, the decorative range, and the pattern of the beaded fabric.
They are also different from the traditional decorative style of Han and should have other origins. The Xi of partially decorating the fabric of robes was more popular in the Tang Dynasty, and the decorative parts were more diverse.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, brocade was mostly used for all kinds of decoration, and the brocade half-arm, brocade shoes, brocade bags, brocade hats, and brocade clothes were also the main ways to use brocade.
The costumes of many line-carved figures on the stone coffin of Xue Ju tomb in the Wanrong Tang Dynasty are likely to use brocade to decorate many parts of the robe inside and outside. Tang Dynasty "Lingyan Pavilion Heroes" portrait of Li Tao, Xi'an Weilu tomb stone coffin line carving, Qianxian County Zhanghuai Prince tomb stone coffin line carving.
The terracotta figurines of the tomb of Princess Yongtai of Qianxian County, the terracotta figurines of the main tomb of Jinxiang County in Xi'an, and other cultural relics of the Tang Dynasty can be seen decorating the collar, cuffs and placket of the robe with fabric.
Among them, the upper arm of the sleeve of the ladies' shirt carved on the stone line of Zhang Shigui's tomb in Liquan County is also decorated with a circle of beads, which is similar to the mural of the Northern Qi Dynasty mentioned above.
As seen in the above murals, terracotta figurines, and stone line carvings, the local decorative fabric Xi of robes and clothing that appeared from the Northern Qi to the Tang Dynasty showed a special decorative style, and its origin is worthy of further systematic combing, or it has been closely related to Sogdia since the emergence of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
Second, the origin and spread of the Xi custom of local decorative fabrics in robes
The fourth and fifth volumes of the "Old Tang Book" and the "Yufu Zhi" recorded: "Zhenguan was made again in four years...... In November, he gave the general a purple robe and brocade sleeves. ”
褾, which means the end of the sleeve. Mr. Sun Ji pointed out that the "brocade for the sleeves" can be seen in the statue of Li Tao in the "Lingyan Pavilion Meritorious Heroes" and the murals of Wei Ling's tomb in the Tang Dynasty, which originated in Central Asia.
Taking images from the Tang Dynasty as an example, the article points out that some of the brocades in robes originated from Central Asia, which is very inspiring. Where there is still some interest, we can also discuss the origin and spread of this costume Xi custom in combination with new materials such as the stone burial tools of the Sogdians who entered China in the Northern Dynasties, as well as Central Asian murals and Sogdian gold and silver wares.
The murals of the tomb of Xu Xianxiu in Northern Qi and the tomb of Lou Rong in Northern Qi may have appeared in this decorative Xi. This type of decoration was also prevalent in the costumes of the figures depicted in the Sogdian frescoes of the Central Asian Pianzhi Kent. The murals are clearly preserved and finely painted with a multi-person banquet and drinking picture, wearing a crown of nobles with wings spread.
Sogdian warrior statues can be seen using beaded fabric on the cuffs, neckline, placket, trouser hems and other parts of the round-necked robe, and the shoulders and back can also be seen as such decorations.
Combined with the above-mentioned documents and the excavations of the actual robes and robes of this period, the author speculates that most of the decorative fabrics used by the Sogdians were brocades. It is worth noting that the phenomenon of cuffs decorated with beaded brocade is quite common.
The head of the Central Asian Afrasi Ab fresco is tied with a hairband on the sleeves of the samurai, that is, a circle is decorated with beaded brocade. The two Sogdian nobles in the banquet picture are decorated with fabric on the collar, shoulders, cuffs, and trouser hems, and the one on the right is decorated with beaded brocade. Observing its cuffs, it is decorated with beaded brocade.
In addition, the same is true of the cuffs of yak warriors depicted in the wooden coffin panel paintings of the Tibetan period unearthed in Qinghai. Therefore, the cuffs of the statue of Li Tao should be decorated with a circle of beaded brocade, rather than only a single beaded circle pattern on the lower part of the sleeve, because in the portrait, Li Tao holds a wat board and raises it.
The angle of observation only shows the lower part of the cuff. The images of the Sogdian stone burial tools in the Northern Dynasty are also mostly seen in the Xi custom of partially decorating fabrics in robes, which can be compared and studied.
The image of the stone couch around the screen unearthed from the Sogdian tomb in the Northern Qi Dynasty of Anyang and the placket, skirt, sleeves and upper arms of the robes of the characters are depicted side by side.
The image of the Sogdian stone couch around the screen in the collection of the Mishu Museum in Japan can also be seen in the image of the Sogdian people decorated with beaded fabric on the placket, and most of the figures are decorated with a circle of fabric on the upper arm of the sleeve. Shandong Yidu Northern Qi stone carving line painting negotiation picture of a Sogdian merchant wearing a sac on his waist.
The rim of the round-necked robe is decorated with a pattern composed of two large and small circles, which should also represent the beaded pattern fabric. These stone burial tools depict the same style of decoration as the native Sogdian murals of Central Asia.
In addition, among the many Hu figurines unearthed from the Tang tomb, this kind of decoration is also common, such as a number of Hu figurines with camels (horses) unearthed from the Mutai Tomb of the Tang Dynasty in Qingcheng, Gansu Province, and the edge of the clothes is also decorated with fabric.
It can be seen that the Sogdians in the Sui and Tang dynasties of the Northern Dynasty, whether in Central Asia or in the east to settle in the Han Dynasty, used brocade-based fabrics as local decorations for robes, which should be their popular clothing Xi.
The author has noticed that the Sogdians preferably decorated the upper arms of the sleeves of their robes with fabrics, which were more special, and often used beaded fabrics. In addition to the above-mentioned stone burial utensils of the Sogdians who entered China from the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Sogdian silver wine vessels (6th-7th centuries) in Central Asia are in the image of a couple feasting.
The sleeves and upper arms of the cup-bearer's robe are also decorated with two beaded circles, and a circle of fabric can also be seen in the banquet depiction of the pican-holding man's chamberlain and the aristocratic man wearing the waist sword.
In the murals of the above-mentioned tombs of Xu Xianxiu in Northern Qi and Lou Rong in Northern Qi, the decorative parts and styles of robes and beads are similar to those seen in Sogdian cultural relics in Central Asia, and should have been influenced by Sogdian clothing Xi.
Xu Xianxiu's mural braided maids' garments are decorated with beaded fabrics, which are also clearly influenced by Sogdian Xi customs. It is no coincidence that the Sogdian stone burial utensils in China were mostly in the Northern Qi Dynasty, which was a reflection of the gathering of Sogdians at that time, and it should not be a coincidence that the Sogdian-style robe decoration first appeared in the mural tombs of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
The Xi of partially decorating the cloth of the Tang Dynasty was more prevalent, mainly because of the large number of Sogdians from Central Asia who entered and settled in China at this time, and also related to the use of such clothing by music and dancers at that time.
3. The cause of the first appearance in the tomb of Xu Xian in the Northern Qi Dynasty was discussed
In the murals of Xu Xianxiu's tomb in Northern Qi, Taiyuan, the local decorative fabric Xi of robes originating from Sogdianism in Central Asia first appeared, and the braided hairstyle commonly used by Sogdians was also first seen in this tomb, which should have its special reasons.
This corroborates each other by the fact that there are many foreign cultural factors in the murals of Xu Xianxiu's tomb, which are manifested in the foreign utensils, dress patterns, and fabric decorations.
For example, the braided maids on the east wall use beaded fabric to decorate the edge of their clothes, and the two maids on the north wall wear beaded long skirts, and the main pattern in the beaded circle is the head of the beast and the Bodhisattva, etc., these patterns originate from Central or West Asia.
In the frescoes, beaded fabrics are used to decorate the edges of the saddles, a decorative Xi commonly found in Central Asian murals.
The Hu people who pulled the ox cart had short hair and beard, deep eyes and high noses, which should be the image of Central Asians. The ornamental beaded gem-encrusted gold rings unearthed from the tomb are also associated with the Sogdians.
Xu Xianxiu was an important minister of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the later lord Gao Wei was an official to the Taiwei, and the Hu style of the Northern Qi Dynasty prevailed during this period. The Book of Sui, Volume 14, and the Musical Chronicles, said that this was the acceptance of Xihu culture by the Northern Qi Dynasty in terms of music and dance, and the Hu people from the Sogdian Cao State and the Anguo State had the greatest influence.
Mr. Chen Yinke pointed out that "the court of the Northern Qi Dynasty, especially in its last years, was the most Hu in the Western Regions". Mr. Rong Xinjiang pointed out that Gao Wei (reigned 565-576), the later ruler of the Northern Qi Dynasty, should have been the most active in absorbing Xihu culture in the last years of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
"Book of Sui" volume 7 "Etiquette Chronicles" contains: Northern Qi "After the last year of the Lord, the sacrifice is not its ghost, as for bowing to encourage Hu Tian to do things, Ye Zhong is more obscene, and the wind is still endless. "Hu Tian" should refer to the Zoroastrian god believed in by the Sogdians. This shows the prosperity of Hu Feng in the last years of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
Xu Xianxiu's burial place Taiyuan is the important town of Northern Qi and Bingzhou, which should also be the prevalent Hu Feng. Originating from Persia and Central Asia, the decorated leaf garments were also first seen in the terracotta figurines unearthed from the tomb of Lourong in the Northern Qi Dynasty of Taiyuan (570). The time when Zhai Suo Maha was appointed as the Great Sabao of the state was around 576.
Yu Hong's tenure as the Northern Zhou Inspector and the Prefecture was around 580. The age of Xu Xianxiu's tomb is 571, which shows that there were many Sogdian Hu people in the Bingzhou area at the time of his burial.
Therefore, there are many Western cultural factors in the tomb. In this particular context, the Xi custom of partially decorating fabrics and the style of braided hair, which originated from the Sogdians, first appeared in the murals of Xu Xian's tomb.
epilogue
Based on the above analysis, the Xi of local decorative fabrics of robes has appeared in the military and political towns of Hezhou in the Northern Qi Dynasty, and can be seen in the murals of Xu Xianxiu's tomb and Lou Rong's tomb, and the decorative parts include the placket, the hem, and the upper arm of the sleeve, and the beaded fabric has been used to decorate the edge. By the Tang Dynasty, it was more popular, and the decorative parts were more diverse.
This Xi was influenced by the Sogdians, who decorated their robes with beaded fabrics in Sogdian murals and gold and silver objects in Central Asia, as well as in images of Sogdian stone burial utensils.
Among them, the decoration of the upper arm of the sleeve is particularly special and popular, and it has been spread to the Han land in the Eastern Qi Dynasty. The parts and styles of the decorative fabrics of the Tibetan and Uighur robes are similar to those of the Sogdians, and they should have been directly influenced by them.
bibliography
The Inheritance and Transformation of the Portrait of the Tomb Owner - Centered on the Tomb of Xu Xianxiu in the Northern Qi Dynasty
The Mask of the Deceased: An Art Study of Han and Tang Tombs