Images, Rituals and the Attitudes Toward Life and Death: An Analysis of the Cultural Meaning of Ming Zhao Liang's Tomb Coffin Paintings

Abstract

In 2017, a lacquered coffin was unearthed at the Jingde Temple excavation site in Wutuoli, Shijingshan District, Beijing, and the tomb occupant was Zhao Liang, an official of the Directorate of Internal Officials in the Ming Dynasty. Two magnificent funeral procession scenes are exquisitely painted on the coffin's panels. The entire ritual sequence, from "funeral procession" (fayin) to "immortal realm reception" (jieyin), is depicted on the right coffin panel, forging a visual pathway for the soul’s ascension to immortality. The left panel portrays the scene of "soul returning to the family" (huiling), thus forming a ritual loop. Through image interlayering and spatial narrative, the picture-within-a-picture structure and right-to-left viewing sequence of the coffin paintings reinforce the eternal "presence" of the tomb occupant’s soul, while also reconstructing the funeral customs of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty. The tomb occupant, Zhao Liang, drew on his own identity background and Buddhist beliefs to carefully design the coffin paintings during the mausoleum’s construction. This design not only reflects his earnest aspiration for posthumous honor and a settled destination for his soul but also provides crucial material evidence for academic research into the funeral customs of the Ming Dynasty.