Chinese painting scroll Palace Museum Gu Hongzhong 'Night Revels of Han Xizai'

Description

Gu Hongzhong (
顧閎中
937
–
975) was a Chinese painter during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history.
Gu was active until 960 CE and was most likely a court painter for the Southern Tang Emperor Li Yu. His most well-known work is the Night Revels of Han Xizai (
韓熙載夜宴圖
). Gu's original no longer exists, but the painting survives as a 12th-century remake during the subsequent Song Dynasty (960
–
1279). The painting is housed in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
The Night Revels of Han Xizai is a painted scroll depicting Han Xizai, a minister of Li Yu. This narrative painting is split into five distinct sections: Han Xizai listens to the pipa, watches dancers, takes a rest, plays string instruments, and then sees guests off.
Gu Hongzhong was supposedly sent to pry on Han Xizai's private life per emperor Li Yu's request. One theory is that Li Yu wanted to know why Han refused his offer to make him the prime minister. Another is that Han Xizai repeatedly missed early-morning audiences with the emperor because of his revelry, fondness of drinking and banquets with friends, and needed to be shamed into dignified behavior.
The work was not only a painting about personal life, but also represented many features from that period. Using careful observation, all of the details of the Night Revels were thoroughly exposed and peoples' expressions were vivid and true-to-life. In the picture, there are more than 40 figures
—
all lifelike and with different expressions. The painting represented the lifestyle of the ruling class of that time indirectly. The painter's surprising observation of Han Xizai makes the painting thought-provoking.
韓熙載夜宴図（かんきさいやえんず）は、五代
・
南唐の画家
・
顧閎中（ここうちゅう）の作と伝えられる、彩色の風俗画巻。計
5
つの場面からなる。韓熙載は南唐の政治家で、
100
人もの妾妓を抱え、酒と女と音楽に溺れ、夜な夜な宴会を開いていたという。南唐の後主
・
李煜（りいく）は韓の行動を怪しみ、乱行の真意を探るため、ひそかに画家の顧閎中を遣わし、顧が記憶した宴会の模様を絵画化したのが本図であるという。画中画の山水画の様式や、画中に描かれている磁器の様式などから、現存本の制作年代は南宋以降とみられる。
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