The legendary painting is believed to be the only existing piece of art by Han Huang 韩滉 (723-787) 1, a Tang Dynasty (618-907) politician and literati figure, who studied painting and calligraphy in his leisure time but achieved admirable artistry.2
Han Huang, “Five Oxen” 韩滉《五牛图卷》
Handscroll, ink and colour on flaxen paper ｜ Painter : Han Huang (723-787) ｜20.8 x 139.8 cm｜Tang dynasty (618-907)｜Beijing Palace Museum collection. 紙本 ，設色｜韓滉 畫（公元723年-787年）｜唐（618-907年）｜20.8 x 139.8 cm｜北京故宮博物院藏
In the painting, Han lined up the five oxen horizontally without any background. The five animals are vividly rendered in different postures. The first ox on the right is grazing, the second ox is looking upwards, the third ox one is in full frontal facing the audience, the fourth ox is looking back and the fifth ox is looking forward.
In painting, Han was originally a follower of several great Chinese painters including Gu Kaizhi 顧愷之 (c 345-406). In calligraphy, he learned from ingenious calligraphers such as Zhang Xu 張旭 (c 675-750), known as the Sage of Cursive script (草聖). Later, Han himself became distinguished at painting figures and livestock such as oxen, goats and donkeys.
Drawing the five oxen with different postures and temperament shows the high skills of the painter. Han used the traditional Chinese ink line drawing technique to portray the powerful skeletal structure and muscles of the oxen in an accurate anatomical perspective. The lines are firm, smooth and bold to show the heavy weight of the oxen. Above all, the eyes of the oxen are so meticulously painted that they bring the animals to life.
The painting is 139.8 cm long and 20.8 cm wide. The earliest inscription on the painting is from the Yuan Dynasty while there is no inscription of the creator. The official seal of the Southern Song government on the work indicates that it had been displaced from North China where the painting was created to South China, and maybe many inscriptions earlier than the Yuan Dynasty have been lost during the journey.3
The colours applied in the painting are light and elegant, with beautiful shades. Although the artist’s sketches employ simple lines, they capture the powerful physique of the bulls to suggest their slow, plodding movements. Even the fine hairs near the nose are clearly delineated. The meticulous rendering of the eyes reflects the animal’s docile but stubborn character.
This painting has been recorded in the official index of painting kept in the Qing palace called “The Complete Collection of the Imperial Paintings and Calligraphies in the Stone Canal Pavilion”, aka “Shiqu Baoji”《石渠宝笈》4. It was one of the favourite paintings of Emperor Qianlong that he kept it in his treasure cove of a study called “Sanxitang” 三希堂.
The frontispiece is a calligraphic work by and colophons by Emperor Qianlong 乾隆皇帝. Various scholars including Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫 (1254-1322)5, Xiang Yuan Bian (項元汴), Jin Nong (金農), etc left their comments at the end of the scroll over a period of time that stretched a thousand year. At the exhibition, only the oxen section were displayed with the frontispiece and some of the comments by Zhao Mengfu (pictures above.) The rest remained obscured in the long scroll.
Qianlong has the habit of affixing his own seals onto these precious paintings, and this painting has been given the maximum number of seals that have been attributed to him – EIGHT!
傳承有序 – Value of the Treasure
One of the most important method of appraising the artistic value of any artwork is its lineage and heritage, and what the Chinese called orderly inheritance 傳承有序. The “Five Oxen” has a definite authorship that can be verified as well as a very well-documented timeline of ownership to qualify it as a National Treasure.
The painting was owned by many people including Emperor Huizong of Song 宋徽宗, and artists like Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫. It was stolen from Zhao’s home and Zhao surprisingly found this painting in the palace of Yuan Dynasty in the studio of the prince (太子書房). The prince gave the painting away. During the Qing Dynasty, the painting was presented to Emperor Qianlong 乾隆皇帝 for his birthday in 1752. 8 9
The rarity of this painting was not only because of the painter but also the medium. It is said to be the only known Chinese ink art painting done on flaxen or hemp paper 宣紙/麻料 and the earliest paper-scroll ink painting to depict bulls. At that time (Tang dynasty), flaxen paper was more expensive than silk, which was a more common medium most paintings were drawn on. It was found in such bad condition when it was put up for auction in Hong Kong in spring of 1951.10
The painting was stored in the Old Summer Palace 圓明園 in Beijing. In 1860, the Old Summer Palace was sacked, looted and burned down during the invasion of the Anglo-French expeditionary forces (火燒圓明園). The painting then fell into the hands of private collectors. In 1950s the painting reappeared in an auction house in Hong Kong. 11
Under the mediation of the then Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai 周恩來, the painting was purchased at the bidding price of HK$60,000 and returned to China. Unfortunately there are a lot of damages and small holes on the painting. Under the careful restoration lead by Sun Chengzhi 孙承枝 and a team of experts, it was repaired and is now kept in the Palace Museum, Beijing.12
I have a naturally tendency to like the ox as I was born under the zodiac. Most artists prefer to draw horses as horses symbolise speed, agility and elegance. Han preferred drawing oxen instead as they are symbols of diligence, perseverance and endurance. Oxen are not easily affected by the surroundings and stick to their habits and natural abilities. A fine painting can portray many stories. This is one of the reasons that Five Oxen is regarded as one of the top 10 masterpieces in Chinese art history.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes :
- Han Huang (韓滉) (723 –787[), courtesy name Taichong (太沖), was an important official of the Tang Dynasty. He served in four generations of Emperors, Emperor Xuanzong (玄宗)(712-756), Emperor Suzong (肅宗)(756-762), Daizong (代宗)(762-779) and Dezong (德宗)(779-805). Han Huang’s father Han Xiu (韓休) was also an important official and briefly served as chancellor in Xuanzong’s reign. Despite the family being rich, Han Huang lived a very simple and frugal life. During his long career in the government, Han served in a number of offices, such as imperial censor, defence, rites, civil service affairs, executive bureau of government as well as the prefect and governor in various parts of the country. He was loyal to the Emperors, worked extremely hard and stamped out corruption in his administration. He was criticized for being too harsh and cruel in his governance.
In 783, due to Zhu Ci’s (朱泚) rebellion, the Tang Empire was thrown into confusion. Emperor Dezong fled from the capital Chang’an (長安) to Feng Tian (奉天). At that time Han Huang was the military governor (Jiedeshi節度使) of Zhenhai (鎮海). His well-trained soldiers participated in the rescue Emperor Dezong who finally returned to Chang’an. Unfortunately some wicked officials spoke ill of Han Huang and told the Emperor that Han Huang was so powerful that he might rebel and overthrow the Dynasty. The chancellor Li Mi (李泌) convinced Dezong that Han was loyal and faithful. According to some art historians, this Five Oxen painting was done at the time to show the Emperor that he was loyal and faithful like an ox serving the farmer.
In 784 the Chang’an region was stricken by a serious famine. Han Huang sent a large supply of rice to Chang’an. Emperor Dezong was very happy and gave him the honorary chancellor designation and put him in charge of the Yangtze-Huai River supply system. Han was later created the Duke of Zheng. He died in the spring of 787 and was buried with great honours, formally honoured as Duke Zhongsu of Jin (晉忠肅公).
Today people remember Han more as a great artist and calligrapher besides his political success and personal integrity.
https://patricksiu.org/five-oxen-五牛圖-by-han-huang-韓滉-2/, accessed 19 Nov 2025 ↩︎ - “The five bulls that were saved in the nick of time” Updated: 2011-05-17 07:52,By Cheng Anqi (China Daily), https://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2011-05/17/content_12524660.htm, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Five_Oxen.jpg#/media/File:Five_Oxen.jpg, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- 图中画牛五头，形象姿态各异，或依棘搔痒，或昂首低鸣，或悠然信步，或回首顾盼。暈后一黄牛头上还束有一个颇为讲究的红色“络头”。此卷是目前所见存世圾早的纸本绘画，曾入南宋高宗内府，又经元代赵孟頫、明代项元汴等名家收藏，后入清宫内廷，著录于《石渠宝笈》，清末散佚。Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎
- Zhao Mengfu, was a Chinese calligrapher, painter, and scholar during the Yuan dynasty. He was a descendant of the Song dynasty’s imperial family through Emperor Xiaozong’s brother Zhao Bogui who married a lady surnamed Song who was the granddaughter of Emperor Huizong.
He was married to Guan Daosheng, who was also an accomplished poet, painter and calligrapher. His rejection of the refined, gentle brushwork of his era in favour of the cruder style of the eighth century is considered to have brought about a revolution that created the modern Chinese landscape painting. He was known for his paintings of horses. His landscapes are also considered to be done in a style that focuses more on a literal laying of ground. Rather than organizing them in a foreground, middle ground, and background pattern he layers middle grounds at various heights to create a sense of depth. This pattern of organization makes his paintings appear very simple and approachable. It was this characteristic that so many people valued about his style. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Mengfu, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎ - The term ‘Shiqu’ came from the Book of Han. In the early Han dynasty (206BC – AD220), Chancellor Xiao He (257BC – 193BC) built the Shiqu Pavilion to the north of Weiyang Palace in Chang’an for storing literature from the Qin dynasty (221BC – 207BC). Naming the official register of works of calligraphy and painting at court after ‘Shiqu’ illustrated Qing (1644 – 1911) emperors’ admiration for ancient Chinese culture. The compilation of the three volumes of the Shiqu baoji spanned the reigns of Qianlong (1711 – 1799 ; reign 1736 – 1795) and Jiaqing (1760 – 1820 ; reign 1796 – 1820), taking over 70 years with the contribution of 31 officials who appraised, selected and documented over ten thousand works of calligraphy and painting. The Shiqu baoji 《石渠宝笈》organised non-religious imperial works systematically, including works created by previous Qing emperors; works passed down from previous dynasties; works sent by officials as tribute; and works created by Emperor Qianlong or Emperor Jiaqing. Works with Taoist or Buddhist themes were recorded in the Midian zhulin. https://hk.art.museum/artportal/pamphlet/EH2016.0009_PA.pdf, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- 三希堂，在紫禁城内养心殿西暖阁，因这里藏有稀世之珍的王羲之《快雪时晴帖》、王献之《中秋帖》、王珣《伯远帖》而得名。从艺术鉴赏角度看，“三希堂”便成为著名艺术品的典藏地而闻名于世，与之相对应的“三希堂精鉴玺”和“宜子孙”玺便当然成为鉴定性标志。二玺主要钤盖于《石渠宝笈》、《秘殿珠林》初、续编著录过的书画作品之上，具体使用情况在《石渠宝笈》、《秘殿珠林》初、续编的“凡例”中有明确说明。如《石渠宝笈》初编，凡书画分贮乾清宫、养心殿、重华宫、御书房四处，俱各用鉴藏玺以别之，又“石渠宝笈”、“乾隆御览之宝”二玺，册、卷、轴皆同。上等者则盖以“乾隆鉴赏”、“三希堂精鉴玺”、“宜子孙”三玺。而《石渠宝笈》、《秘殿珠林》续编入选者，则钤用“乾隆御览之宝”、“乾隆鉴赏”、“三希堂精鉴玺”、“宜子孙”、“秘殿珠林”或“石渠宝笈”、“秘殿新编”或“珠林重定”、“石渠宝鉴”或“宝笈重编”。而这两方玺在钤盖时的位置也基本固定，一般都在作品的右下方， 且“三希堂精鉴玺”在上，“宜子孙”玺在下。https://www.dpm.org.cn/collection/seal/233650.html, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/五牛圖, accessed 19 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- 韩混 ((五牛图》的流传沿革,根据画卷上的诗文题跋等可知曾流入南宋内府,元代时经赵伯昂、赵孟顺、元太子等人之手,明代项元汁等收藏过,人清,曾藏于浙江桐乡汪氏求是斋,金农曾两度观赏《五牛图》,最后一次是在乾隆十一年(丙寅,1746年)十二月。此后《五牛图》流入清宫。但具体情况,人们至今不甚清楚。笔者在北京中国第一历史档案馆查阅到一份两江总督尹继善进贡的进单(见《宫中进单》312),现将贡品抄录如下:竹如意玖枚汉玉昭文带贰件古铜提梁卤壹件 古铜雷纹尊壹件旧玉料两块玉龙凤蹲壹件 玉双福尊壹件 玉花插壹件韩混五牛图壹卷卷王晕江山苍公图壹卷万福万寿龙缎袍褂成套李龙眠五马图壹卷江贯道姑山无尽图壹福寿吉祥宁细袍褂成套寿山福海龙缎袍褂成套玉龙献寿宁细袍褂成套 珠兰茶肆桶 台菜干肆箱玉兰笋贰箱 百合粉贰箱进单开列了二十种贡品,其中在三件贡品的名前,即“玉龙凤礴壹件、古铜提梁卤壹件、王晕江山苍霭图壹卷” ,有用墨笔打的叉“X” ,表示驳回;其余十七件,则画圈“O” ,表示赏收,其中就有韩混的《五牛图》。从贡品名称不难看出,这是尹继善呈送的乾隆十七年万寿贡(乾隆皇帝生日为八月十三 日)。尹继善,满洲镶黄旗人,是雍正乾隆时期最有名的封疆大吏之一,曾四督两江;他吟咏好诗,是当时八旗文坛的领袖人物,与风雅名士包括袁枚等人过从甚密。他能得到《五牛图》并贡献给乾隆皇帝是“人情入理”的。当然他是知何得到《五牛图))的还有待于史料的发现。原进单未书写时间,但有白色的夹条上写有 日期:“乾隆十七年七月十五日” ,这是贡品呈奉御览的日期。(对于“进单”描述参见笔者((清乾隆朝王公大臣官员进贡问题初探》,载《清史研究》1996年第1期)。其实乾隆皇帝于壬申嘉平月朔日(十七年十二月初一日)在该画上的题字(见《石渠宝岌续编》),已较明确地指出了《五牛图》入清宫的时间:“今秋甫得此卷耳” 。因此可以判定,贡品呈览的这一天即乾隆十七年七月十五日(1752年8月23日)就是《五牛图》进入清宫的时间。
《五牛图流入清宫的确切日期》董建中 https://minghuaji.dpm.org.cn/article/detail?id=20236&paintId=801ccb3a553d0c8470e9ead3269dbd29, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎ - “The five bulls that were saved in the nick of time” Updated: 2011-05-17 07:52,By Cheng Anqi (China Daily), https://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2011-05/17/content_12524660.htm, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- http://www.china.org.cn/top10/2011-11/08/content_23854076_6.htm, accessed 19 Nov 2025 ↩︎
- Museum information card, Nov 2025 ↩︎
- https://www.sohu.com/a/344932922_100031567, accessed 20 Nov 2025 ↩︎
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