漢畫像石「車馬出行圖」之帝國想像
Journal
漢學研究
Journal Volume
28卷
Journal Issue
4期
Pages
1-39
Date Issued
2010
Author(s)
Abstract
Depictions of journeys by horse and carriage (�����X���) are one of the most common types of stone relief found in Han dynasty tombs. Past scholars studying these artworks have analyzed them in several ways. For example, the number and fittings of carriages in the reliefs have been compared to those in the ��Records of Carriages and Clothing �֪A�ӡ� section of the Book of the Later Han ��~��to try to ascertain the socioeconomic class of the tomb's occupant. The placement and positions of figures and other elements in the scenes depicted in the stone reliefs have been analyzed to infer the functions of the carriages and horses. It has also been held that the images in the stone reliefs reflect social life during the Han dynasty. This article discusses the pros and cons of previous analyses, and points out that, although they are mortuary artworks, the stone reliefs reveal characteristics of the desires of the living, and possess a strong political and imaginative flavor. With an increasing number of Han tombs and their stone reliefs excavated, scholars are in increasing agreement that most of the tombs belong to low-level officials or civilians. However, the common types of mortuary artworks, including depictions of journeys by carriage, depictions of obeisance in a storied building (�ӻի���), and depictions of wars between Hu and Han (�J�z�Ԫ���), usually portray the lives of high-level officials. These artworks not only depict aspects of material life but also imply abstract ideology; this article proposes that the practical aspect of the themes selected for depiction in Han stone reliefs reveals a characteristic ��imperial imagination.�� This interpretation was arrived at by analyzing from a visual perspective those artworks depicting journeys by horse and carriage. The pictorial language of these reliefs expresses the symbols of a strong and robust empire as well as the ideology of aspiration for political position. They also reflect the fact that the conception of empire was built upon the administrative and legal systems of prefectures and counties. The article concludes with an explanation of the factors of the imperial imagination present in the stone reliefs in Han dynasty tombs
Type
journal article