Night Banquet of Han Xizai - Painting Core 2 - Watching Dance
This scene is essentially a spy report turned into a masterpiece! Emperor Li Yu of the Southern Tang dynasty suspected his minister Han Xizai of ambition, so he sent painter Gu Hongzhong to sneak into Han's party and sketch the revelry. In this 'Watching the Dance' section, Han (the bearded man in the tall hat) enthusiastically beats a large drum for the dancer Wang Wushan, while a guest in red lounges nearby and even a monk stands observing. Han was famously pretending to be a drunkard to avoid political responsibility, making this a brilliant act of self-preservation captured on silk.
- Technique
- Ink and color on silk
- Material
- Silk
Location: Palace Museum, Beijing
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