One of the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum

Exploring court painting in the early Tang Dynasty requires analysis of artists' roles, identities, relationships with the emperor, and artistic functions. One renowned painter of this era was Yan Liben (approx. 600-673). Born into a noble family, his father, Yan Pi, served in the courts of the Northern Zhou and Sui dynasties, excelling in architecture, engineering, and burial art. Yan Liben and his brother, Lide, contributed to the construction of imperial tombs during the early Tang Dynasty. The exquisite relief sculptures of the six horses at Emperor Taizong's Zhaoling tomb may have been crafted under their supervision and continue to inspire today.

Tang Dynasty (618-907) Yan Lide & Yan Liben. Relief Sculpture. 176cm*207cm. Collection of The Penn Museum, Philadelphia, USA.

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.