The Gatekeeper with a Sword & Twenty-eight Mansions

These two murals reflect another aspect of achievement in painting during the Northern Qi dynasty (550-557 AD). The images of officials on the walls of the tomb passage are the most outstanding surviving portrait paintings before the Tang dynasty. The top of the tomb chamber is painted with animal images representing the twelve celestial stems. Like the horses and camels depicted in the corridor, they are highly realistic and impactful animal paintings, but their brushwork has calligraphic characteristics. The Lou Rui Tomb also reflects the close connection between tomb mural art and Buddhist art during this period. This tomb was built during the same era as Cave 249 in Dunhuang, and its owner, Lou Rui, was a devout Buddhist. Therefore, Buddhist themes such as the Mani pearl and flying celestial beings appear in the tomb mural, as well as the image of the thunder god that appeared on the ceiling of Cave 249 in Dunhuang.

Northern Qi (550-577). Height 90cm. Mural painting in tomb of Lou Rui, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.

Northern Qi (550-577). 160cm*202cm. Mural painting in tomb of Lou Rui, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province.

This piece is compiled from the Chinese edition of Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting by Foreign Languages Press and Yale University Press, translated by Chen Ying.