Figure paintings were found on the wall of an ancient tomb unearthed in Chang’an district of Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province. Archaeologists confirmed the grave belonged to Han Xiu, a senior official of Tang Dynasty, and his wife. Another mural on the north wall depicting a landscape painting was proved as the earliest one of Tang Dynasty.
1st Class Treasure 一级文物
Tang Dynasty Han Xiu Tomb Murals 唐代韩休墓壁画
Clay, mineral paint | Tang dynasty (618-907) | Excavated from Han Xiu tomb in 2014/15 | Shaanxi History Museum collection. 土，矿物涂料 | 唐（618-907）｜2014年西安市长安区少陵原韩休墓出土 ｜ 陕西历史博物馆藏
The murals are the most important part of the artifacts unearthed from Han Xiu’s tomb, possessing extremely high artistic and historical cultural value. The south wall of the tomb chamber features a Vermilion Bird mural, the west side of the north wall features a Black Tortoise mural, and the east side features a landscape mural. The west wall depicts scholars under trees, and the east wall features a music and dance scene.
The tomb ceiling features a diagram of the sun, moon, and stars, flanked by the Black Tortoise 玄武 on the north wall and Vermillion Bird 朱雀 on the south wall.
The Earliest Tang Landscape Painting Discovered
The landscape painting on the east side of the north wall of the tomb chamber is the earliest single-panel landscape painting from the Tang Dynasty discovered in archaeological excavations. Its use of brushwork and colour can be considered the origin of freehand landscape painting.
The painting depicts a deep, secluded valley. A clear stream meanders through the centre, entering the scene from right to left in the distance, before turning right in the middle ground. It fills the gap in the lack of physical examples of Tang Dynasty paintings in my country and pushes back the maturity period of Chinese landscape painting to the Tang Dynasty.
The “Music and Dance Scene”
The two sets of paintings depicting singers and dancers performing together on the east wall fully reproduce the scene of music and dance in the Tang Dynasty. They are of great significance to the study of ancient Chinese music and dance and have opened a new chapter in this type of subject matter.
The scene depicts a total of 14 musicians and dancers. It is divided into male and female sections; the women are depicted as typical Tang Dynasty figures, most likely Han Chinese, while the men are depicted as Central Asians, playing instruments such as the pipa and konghou. Between the two sections, a man and a woman dance to music. This type of music and dance scene, featuring a double orchestra and two-person dance, is the first of its kind discovered in China.1
It is interesting to note that there are some “corrections” done by the artists that were unravelled from the restoration work. On the right side of the square carpet are five male musicians, with two singers added to their left and right; a zither is added to the front of the square carpet; a boy was originally painted in front of the left side of the square carpet, echoing a rabbit on the right, but the boy and the rabbit were later painted over and covered up.
The Recluse 高士图
The murals depict “high scholars” (高士) or sages standing in a landscape setting, characterised by trees and rocks. They feature distinct, flowing Chinese dress and represent a blend of academic value and historical storytelling. The painting “Portraits of Recluses” showcases the Confucian moral values and philosophy of life that were widely accepted in society during this period, while some of the figures in the painting also subtly express the idea of reclusion and the Taoist concept of immortals.
The Discovery of the Tomb of Han Xiu and His Wife
In 2009, during the investigation by the Shaanxi History Museum and the public security department into the theft of the stone sarcophagus of Consort Wu Hui at the Jingling Mausoleum of Empress Zhenshun of the Tang Dynasty, a batch of exquisitely painted Tang Dynasty murals were unexpectedly discovered on a portable hard drive seized by the police from Yang Bin’s criminal gang. Yang Bin identified the Tang Dynasty mural tomb he had looted and photographed as being located in Guoxinzhuang Village, Shaolingyuan, southeast of Chang’an District, Xi’an City.
In March 2014, an archaeological team composed of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, the Shaanxi History Museum, and the Chang’an District Cultural Relics Bureau of Xi’an City conducted a rescue excavation of the Han Xiu Tomb. The archaeological findings revealed that the tomb is shaped like a knife handle, facing south, and approximately 40 meters long. It consists of a long sloping tomb passage, a passageway, a courtyard, a corridor, and a burial chamber.
The tomb passage, corridor, and burial chamber were all decorated with murals, which have been severely damaged by tomb robbers. The mural depicting music and dance on the east wall of the chamber is the most intact.
Excavation revealed an epitaph indicating that the tomb’s occupants were the parents of Han Huang, a famous Tang Dynasty painter—Han Xiu, a prime minister of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and his wife, Lady Liu 柳氏3. It is worth noting that the Shaolingyuan area, where the tomb was found, was a burial ground for high-ranking nobles and officials during the Tang Dynasty, where high-ranking tombs such as the Jingling Mausoleum of Empress Zhenshun, the Fei family tombs, the Changsun Wuji family tombs, and the Du Ruhui family tombs have already been discovered. Therefore, the discovery of Han Xiu’s tomb undoubtedly has significant value and meaning.4
About Han Xiu
The tomb’s occupant, Han Xiu 韩休 (672-740)5, was a native of Chang’an, Jingzhao and served under Emperor Xuanzong (r. 712-756). In the early years of the Kaiyuan era, he served as the Prefect of Guozhou, later becoming the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. In the 21st year of the Kaiyuan era (733), he was promoted to Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and concurrently Chancellor. In December of the same year, he was dismissed from his post as Chancellor and transferred to the Ministry of Works. He successively served as Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Attendant of the Imperial Diarist, and Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, before being promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently drafting imperial edicts.
He died in May of the 28th year of the Kaiyuan era (740), posthumously honoured with the title Wenzhong and granted the title of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince. In the first year of the Baoying era, he was posthumously granted the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and Grand Governor of Yangzhou. Han Xiu was known for his integrity and literary talent. His wife, Lady Liu, came from a prominent family in Hedong County. She died in the 7th year of the Tianbao era (748) and was buried with Han Xiu at Shaolingyuan.
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
His son, Han Huang (723-787), was a Chancellor during the reign of Emperor Dezong (r. 779-805). He was a renowned painter of the Tang Dynasty, skilled in clerical script, cursive script, and various paintings, particularly excelling in depicting cattle and sheep.6
The Special Exhibition
A special exhibition, titled “Paintings on the Walls: The Grandeur of the Tang Dynasty – Archaeological Excavation and Conservation of the Murals in the Tomb of Han Xiu”7, was held at the Shaanxi History Museum when the restoration of the murals that took 10 years was completed. The murals in Han Xiu’s tomb are diverse in type and exquisite in detail, possessing extremely high artistic research value.
All photos taken at Shaanxi History Museum, Mar 2024, unless otherwise noted.
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 :
- 韩休墓的墓室东壁绘“乐舞图”，是迄今发现的最为完整的大型唐代达官显贵私家乐舞图。全图共绘15人：中部舞者2人，左女右男；左侧为女乐队5人，右侧为男乐队7人，另外女乐队前有一侏儒。两舞者皆为汉人，在圆毯上腾踏对舞。左侧女乐队中，一人立于长毯之外，似为吟诵者；其余4人坐于长毯之上，分别演奏琴、拍板、笙和卧箜篌。右侧男乐队由胡、汉人参杂组成，或跪或坐于长毯之上，分别演奏排箫、琵琶、卧箜篌、筚篥和铜钹。乐队前有花草杂石，后有树木竹林环绕。画面线条流畅，整体布局疏密有致，人物的神情、姿态、乐器、花草树木、杂石均描绘得生动形象、细致入微，准确地再现了唐代私家乐舞的场景，对研究我国音乐史、美术史乃至中外文化交流史都有很重要的参考价值。
Museum information card, Mar 2024
↩︎ - 责任编辑：施丹璐， “唐代韩休墓壁画再现，历时十年修复首次集中展出”。文物陕西 2024-03-20 13:37
乐舞图中用黄色涂抹遮盖，是迄今所见唐墓壁画绘制过程中一种新的修改方法。
为什么要做修改呢？有学者研究认为，乐舞图展示的是内宅主人生前的生活场景，其内容表现的是盛唐四大乐舞中的胡部新声，一般在宫廷或王府贵族堂上演出，具有浓重的礼仪性质，奔跑嬉戏的孩童显然不合时宜，因此做出重大改动。也有学者对乐舞图绘制过程细致分解，认为其绘制顺序有先后，是画工调整画作主题与结构所致。https://www.icppcc.cn/newsDetail_1134189
↩︎ - The Liu clan of Hedong was an aristocratic family in ancient China with Hedong Commandery as its ancestral home. Together with the Pei and Xue clans of Hedong, they were known as the “Three Prominent Clans of Hedong” and belonged to the Guanzhong Commandery. 河东柳氏，是中国古代一个以河东郡为郡望的柳姓士族，与河东裴氏、河东薛氏并称“河东三著姓”，属于关中郡姓。https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/河东柳氏, accessed 28 May 2026
↩︎ - 2009年，陕西历史博物馆在和公安部门查办唐贞顺皇后敬陵武惠妃石椁被盗案的过程中，从警方缴获的杨斌犯罪团伙的移动硬盘中，意外发现了一批绘制精美的唐代壁画。经杨斌指认，其盗掘、拍摄的唐代壁画墓位于西安市长安区东南少陵原上的郭新庄村。经发掘，出士墓志显示，该墓主人是唐代著名画家韩滉的父母——盛唐宰相韩休与夫人柳氏。值得一提的是，驱葬所处的少陵原一带，是唐代一处贵族高官墓葬区，已发现了贞顺皇后敬陵、非氏家族墓、长孙无忌家族墓、杜如晦家族墓等高等级墓葬。因此韩休墓的发现，无疑是有着重要的价值和意义。
Museum Information Care, Mar 2024
↩︎ - 韩休墓志盖篆书《大唐故韩府君墓志铭》九字，《大唐故太子少师赠杨州大都督昌黎韩府君墓志铭并序》与新、旧唐书所载的逝世年份不同，应以墓志记载唐玄宗开元二十八年五月十日（740年6月8日）为准。所以可以确定，韩休生于672年，死于740年。
https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/韓休, accessed 28 May 2026
↩︎ - 郑岩, 《唐韩休墓壁画山水图刍议》故宮博物院院刊 2015年第5期･ 第181期， 108-109. https://www.dpm.org.cn/Uploads/File/2018/06/04/u5b150eb807c12.pdf
墓主韩休为京兆长安人，开元初年为虢州刺史，后转尚书右丞。开元二十一年 （733）迁黄门侍郎、同中书门下平章事。同年十二月罢相，转为工部尚书。历司封员外郎、起居郎、中书舍人，迁礼部侍郎，兼知制诰。开元二十八年 （740）五月卒，谥号文忠，追赐太子少师。宝应元年，追赠太子太师，扬州大都督。韩休为官清廉，又工于文词。夫人柳氏，出身河东郡世家大族。天宝七年（748）卒，与韩休合葬于少陵原。其子韩滉为德宗朝宰相，“工隶书章草杂画，颇得形似，牛羊最佳”，是唐代著名的画家。
↩︎ - 责任编辑：施丹璐， “唐代韩休墓壁画再现，历时十年修复首次集中展出”。文物陕西 2024-03-20 13:37
此次推出的展览名为 “壁上丹青 盛唐气象——唐韩休墓壁画考古发掘与保护展”（1月31日——待定 ），在陕西历史博物馆展出。韩休墓壁画类型多样、精彩纷呈，具有极高的艺术研究价值。中国最早的独屏山水图，就来自韩休墓，它笔墨、色彩之运用，堪称大写意山水画的源头。https://www.icppcc.cn/newsDetail_1134189
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