On the Portraits of Periodical Offerings (職貢圃) to the Liang Dynasty and Its World View

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Other Title
  • ｢職貢圖」とその世界觀
  • 「 ショクコウズ 」 ト ソノ セカイカン
  • ｢職貢図」とその世界観

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Abstract

This paper attempts a systematic examination of essential information by which the significance of the entire Portraits of Periodical Offerings (Zhigongtu 職貢圖) can be explored by re-examining the titles (題記) and the portraits of envoys to Liang China. The first section of this paper analyzes the titles. The titles of the envoys seen in the manuscript of Portraits of Periodical Offerings, held by Nanjing Museum, and those found in the Airiyinlushuhua xulu (愛日吟廬書畫續錄) reveal that the emissaries from West and Central Asian kingdoms to the Liang dynasty included Sogdians, specifically, the Hephthalites (滑國) sent Sogdians and Bactrians as their official envoys to the Liang court. Two other manuscripts in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan show the envoy from Khotan (于闐國) carrying a pot-shaped object, which can be regarded as their gift of a glass vase (瑠璃罌) officially presented to the emperor in 519 ; accordingly, the potraits of the envoys from Karghalik (周古柯國) and Wakhan (胡蜜丹國) are also accompanied by their respective gifts to the Liang emperor in 520. The second section focuses on the drawing itself. Several characteristics in Portraits of Periodical Offerings testify to the artist's and viewer's ideas of how the envoys should appear as well as the effort to depict them as they really were. Even the realism-oriented drawings contain certain imagery that aims at retrospectively emphasizing and praising the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty. The preface of Portraits of Periodical Offerings makes clear that its world is composed of the Chinese Empire and "barbarian" kingdoms. However, none of the Chinese people who received the envoys are drawn in the picture, while those from the periphery of this world are portrayed in detail. There is a clear divide between inside and outside of the picture, between the Chinese viewers and the "barbarians" as the objects of their gaze. This gap allowed Emperor Wu and his subjects to share the same gaze and worldview of the empire in viewing Portraits of Periodical Offerings. In this sense, Portraits of Periodical Offerings functioned as a focal point by which the Liang dynasty in its prime could confirm its unity, the center of which is occupied by the ruler of all under heaven, Emperor Wu.

Journal

  • 東洋史研究

    東洋史研究 74 (1), 1-38, 2015-06-30

    THE TOYOSHI-KENKYU-KAI : The Society of Oriental Researches, Kyoto University

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