Page 373 - Chinese Art, Vol II By Stephen W. Bushell

PTCTORTAL ART. — T19

that he might build them up again on the northern slopes of the
grounds of his own new palace at Hsien-yang.
During the Han dynasties which succeeded the Ch'in there was
marked development of the pictorial art in all its branches, as shown
by many quotations in the encyclopaedia from the contemporary
annals, referring to galleries filled with pictures of celebrated minis-
ters, famous generals, distinguished ladies of the court, learned
scholars and Taoist divinities. Buddhist plot arcs are first noticed
in the reign of Ming Ti (a.d. 58-75) when the earliest types of a
new art were brought overland from India by a special mission sent
overland by the Chinese emperor. Most of the early pictures were
painted on the walls of the palaces and temples and have long since
perished with the buildings they were intended to decorate, so that
we have only literary evidence of their existence. They were
generally executed by artists attached to the palace, who were also
expected to provide coloured illustrations for classical and historical
books, drawings of ritual vessels and war tactics, maps, astro-
logical and astronomical diagrams, etc.
Among the historical paintings an interesting portrait is alluded
to in the Han annals in the biography of Su Wu :
" During tlie reign of Hsiian Ti of the Han dynasty, in the third year
(B.C. 51) of the Kau-hi epoch, the Shan-yu (ruler of the Hiung-nu Turks)
first came to Court. The emperor, admiring the magnificent frame of the
warrior, had his picture painted in the Unicorn Pavihon of the Palace. It was
an artistic likeness of his form and features, and was labelled with his rank
and dignities as well as his tribal and personal names."
The same chieftain came again for audience in the year B.C. 33
and was given in marriage the beauty of the imperial seraglio,
named Chao Chiin, a favourite heroine of later drama, whose story
has been translated by Sir John Davis under the title of The Sorrows
of Han. The encyclopajdia sketches it under the heading of Mao
Yen-shou, the portrait painter, whose name has come down to us
in connection with it.
" The Emperor Yuan Ti had so many concubines in his harem that he
never even saw some of them. He commissioned his artists to paint their