Kingly Splendor: Court Art and Materiality in Han China

376 Pages·2020·61.039 MB·English

by  Allison R. Miller

KINGLY SPLENDOR
TANG CENTER SERIES IN EARLY CHINA
TANG CENTER SERIES IN EARLY CHINA
Editors
Anthony Barbieri-Low
Li Feng
The dramatic increase of information about China’s early past made possible by recent
archaeological discoveries has reenergized the study of Early China. The Tang Center
Series in Early China, sponsored by the Tang Center for Early China at Columbia
University and published by Columbia University Press, presents new studies that make
major contributions to our understanding of early Chinese civilization and break new
theoretical or methodological grounds in Early China studies, especially works that
analyze newly discovered paleographic and manuscript materials and archaeological data.
The disciplinary focus of the series includes history, archaeology, art history, anthropology,
literature, philosophy, and the history of sciences and technology. The time period covered
spans from the Neolithic to the end of the Han Dynasty (220 ce) or to the end of the Tang
Dynasty (907 ce) for titles in archaeology.
Modeling Peace: Royal Tombs and Political Ideology in Early China, Jie Shi
Kingly Splendor
COURT ART AND MATERIALITY IN HAN CHINA
Allison R. Miller
Columbia University Press
New York
Columbia University Press wishes to express its appreciation to the
Tang Center for Early China for funding and editorial support
in the publication of this book.
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
cup.columbia.edu
Copyright © 2021 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Miller, Allison R., author.
Title: Kingly splendor : court art and materiality in Han China /
Allison R. Miller.
Description: New York : Columbia University Press, 2020. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020016738 (print) | LCCN 2020016739 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780231196604 (hardback) | ISBN 9780231551748 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: 1. Art, Chinese, Qin-Han Dynasties, 221 b.c.–220 a.d.
2. China—Kings and rulers--Tombs
3.China—History—Qin and Han Dynasties, 221 b.c.–220 a.d.
4. Sculpture, Chinese—Qin-Han dynasties, 221 b.c.–220 a.d.
5.Decoration and ornament—China—History—Han dynasty, 221 b.c.–220 a.d.
6. Color in art. 7. China—Antiquities
Classification: LCC NK1068 .M527 2020 (print) | LCC NK1068 (ebook) |
DDC 709.31—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016738
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020016739
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent
and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design: Noah Arlow
Cover image: Xuzhou Museum
To Gary, Mirella, and Portia

CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix
Introduction 1
Chapter One
The Kings and the Court in the Early Western Han 13
Chapter Two
From Imitation to Innovation: The Emperor’s Baling Tomb
and the Mountain Tombs of the Western Han Kings 55
Chapter Three
New Styles from Political Change: The Early Han Kings
and the Reimagining of Terracotta Armies 87
Chapter Four
The Many Meanings of Jade: Jade Suits and Local Identity
in the Early Han 145
Chapter Five
The Murals at Shiyuan and the King of Liang 184
Chapter Six
The Purple Textiles of Qi: Tracing the Growth
of a Provincial Industry 217
Conclusion 243
NOTES 249
BIBLIOGRAPHY 309
INDEX 335

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The royal tombs of the Western Han first sparked my interest in 2003 when,
as a recent college graduate and Fulbright scholar, I visited several sites while
on a research trip to study Eastern Han pictorial carvings in Xuzhou, Jiangsu
province. The Western Han sites seized my attention not only because of
their elaborate size, architectural complexity, and rich furnishings, but also
because they were connected with known historical figures and therefore
enabled me to study an aspect of Han funerary art often omitted from
scholarly narratives—namely, the political dimensions of these sites. Later
on, at Harvard, my doctoral dissertation would focus on these very aspects,
considering the social and political factors that contributed to the devel-
opment of rock-cut tombs in the Han. This book significantly expands the
scope of my original dissertation with new research on Baling and the rock-
cut tombs, on the relationship between the kings and the imperial court,
as well as on terracotta warriors, jade suits, murals, and purple textiles. It
represents the culmination of years of study across three distinct fields: art
history, archaeology, and history.
Because this project took several years to complete, I owe a debt of
gratitude to many individuals who assisted me along the way. First, I would
like to thank my teachers, Professors Donald Harper and Wu Hung of the
University of Chicago, who originally cultivated my interests in Han history
and art, and the members of my dissertation committee at Harvard: Profes-
sors Michael Puett, Eugene Wang, Rowan Flad, and Stephen Owen. Michael
x
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Puett served as an enthusiastic and supportive mentor throughout my time
at Harvard. His dedication to interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge
and the close reading of early texts exerted a tremendous influence on my
research path. I am also indebted to Eugene Wang for training me as an art
historian and for teaching me the importance of approaching artworks as
independent sources of information. Rowan Flad trained me in archaeology
and in the careful reading of site reports. Stephen Owen remains a model of
how to bring the past to life through refined academic prose. I have contin-
ued to rely on my mentors for research assistance over the years, and their
work remains a constant inspiration for my own.
Several mentors in China have also exerted a decisive influence on
this work. Professor Yang Zhefeng of Beijing University, whom I first met
when he was a Fairbank scholar at Harvard, has been a longtime friend
and supporter. Yang introduced me to several unpublished sites and works
that have been included in this book. Another friend, Nie Fei of the Hunan
Museum, has also been a fountain of encouragement and has gone to great
lengths to procure image rights and obscure articles on my behalf. Professor
Gao Chongwen, also of Beijing University, exerted a formative influence on
my understanding of Han archaeology as my adviser during my Fulbright
fellowship in 2003–2004.
Numerous other individuals in China have assisted me with data, site
visits, and image permissions: Li Yinde, director emeritus, and Chen Zhao
of the Xuzhou Museum; Ma Yongying and Yang Wuzhan of the Shaanxi
Provincial Institute of Archaeology; Director Li Fang of the Zhangqiu
Museum; Chen Li of the Nanjing Museum; Director Zhao Feng and Liu
Jian of the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou; Director Wang
Ruixia of the Qingzhou Museum; Zhuang Mingjun of the Qingzhou
City Cultural Relics Management Office; Director Zheng Tongxiu of the
Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology; Li Lihui
of the Hunan Museum; Professor Song Yanbo of Shandong University; the
Tianjin Museum staff; Qiu Licheng of the Guangdong Provincial Institute
of Cultural Relics and Archaeology; and Professor Guo Wu of the Chinese
Academy of Social Sciences.
The final manuscript of this book was edited and revised during a fel-
lowship at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at New
York University in 2018–2019. I am indebted to Rod Campbell and Lillian
Lan-ying Tseng for their support at ISAW and over the years. Several other
faculty members, visiting scholars, research associates, and students at ISAW