书城外语ChinesePaintings
17735800000008

第8章 The Imperial Sedan Chair-Yan Liben

The Imperial Sedan Chair, a Tang Dynasty(618.907) hand scroll by Yan Liben, ink and color on silk, 38.5cm× 129.6cm, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing.

It is a meticulous and rich-color painting, showing the scene that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty meets Tibetan envoys dispatched by Songtsan Gampo in 641, the fifteenth year of Zhenguan reign. Sitting in a sedan chair serenely, Emperor Taizong looks august and dignified, and reveals friendliness and praise for envoys. Palace maids, officials in charge of rites and interpreters are doing their duties. It is a national cultural treasure.