The rubbing of a brick portrait at the China Qingdao Han Portrait Brick Museum depicts a group of diplomatic envoys in the Han Dynasty. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
For most people interested in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), an era known in Chinese history for its prosperity and inclusiveness, historical records and literary works offer insights.
Now, the Chinese Han Painting Exhibition at the Beijing Shanshui Art Museum can satiate their curiosity. The artwork is on display through April 12.
The exhibition, co-organized by the museum and the Chinese Han Painting Society, comprises 587 pieces of Han painting rubbings provided by the country's 29 museums and institutions.
The rubbing of a brick portrait at the China Qingdao Han Portrait Brick Museum depicts two intertwined dragons. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
The showpieces include Han Dynasty stone portraits, brick portraits, murals, silk paintings and lacquer paintings. Stone and brick portraits far outnumber other kinds of exhibits as they are widely distributed in the country, in places such as Central China's Henan province, East China's Shandong province, and Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
Elaborate funerals prevailed during the Han Dynasty and this can be attested by the abundant stone and brick portraits in various themes and styles excavated from tombs belonging to that period.
The rubbing of a stone portrait at the Nanyang Stone-carved Art Museum in Han Dynasty depicts the folk legend of the Goddess Chang's fly to the moon. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
These portraits are based on diverse themes, including legendary emperors like the Yellow Emperor and Fuxi, and legendary creatures the like qilin (a Chinese unicorn) and yuren, or the feather man (a Taoist god). Apart from these, many more portraits mirror various aspects of everyday life and thus can be called an encyclopedia of the Han dynasties.
The rubbing of a stone portrait at the Nanyang Stone-carved Art Museum in Han Dynasty shows the tour of Hebo, the God of the Yellow River. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
The mural unearthed from an East Han Dynasty tomb in Deyang, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
The rubbing of a Han Dynasty stone portrait unearthed in Nanyang, Central China's Henan Province. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
The mural of a tomb in Yulin county, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
A mural unearthed from a tomb in Yulin county, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province depicts Confucius greeting his master. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
The rubbing of a mural at the Wuliang Ancestral Hall in Jiaxiang county, East China's Shandong Province. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
A representative Han Dynasty stone portrait unearthed in Xuzhou, East China's Anhui Province. (Photo/Chinaculture.org)
