Painted portrait bricks, murals, and pottery figurine art of the Southern Dynasty tomb in Xuezhuang, Dengzhou

Abstract

The Southern Dynasty painted pictorial brick and mural tomb of Xuezhuang in Dengzhou is the first discovery in the history of Chinese archaeology. Although it was not excavated, it was vandalized and the full view of the tomb chamber cannot be seen. Its artistic and archaeological value is greatly discounted. By 1992, the tomb had the privilege of being relocated to the Dengzhou Museum for restoration. The tomb chamber of this tomb has a unique architectural structure, with unearthed painted pictorial bricks with captions, painted murals on the tomb door, ink calligraphy captions, and assembled painted pottery figurines. It is deeply influenced by the Central Plains Heluo culture and has distinct regional characteristics of the Southern Dynasties. It combines Buddhism, Taoism, and even traditional Chinese folk beliefs into one, and may also be influenced by the integration of the three religions and the concept of dual cultivation of Buddhism and Taoism advocated by the Southern Dynasty royal family and“ elite who migrated south.”