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Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Southern Dynasties (420–589), 2nd half of the 5th century
Rubbings of a pair of stamped-brick murals, ink on paper
Each: 34 5/8 x 94 1/2 in. (88 x 240 cm)
Bricks excavated at Xishanqiao, Nanjin, Jiangsu Province, 1960
Nanjing Museum
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A pair of murals from an elite tomb in the outskirts of Nanjing is the most direct evidence of the artistic advance in South China during an exceptionally innovative period in figure painting. The murals depict the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, third-century officials known for their unconventional behavior and a detached attitude toward Confucian decorum. While the Confucian-inspired decor of late Han and Jin tombs features filial sons, moral paragons, and virtuous rulers, these murals document a dramatic shift in social attitudes and a new celebration of personal freedom and individualism. Set within shallow but well-defined pictorial spaces, the figures have broken free of the restrained and ritual poses dictated by Confucian protocol. Facial expressions, poses, and gestures are rendered with much greater specificity and naturalism and convey distinct psychological states.
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