From right to left, there are thirteen emperors: former Emperor Zhao of Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty, Wei Wudi Cao Pi, Sun Quan of Soochow, Liu Bei of Shu State, Jin State, Chen, Chen Chuan, Chen Bozong, Chen Bozong, Yu Wenyong of Northern Zhou Dynasty, Sui Wendi and Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty. Each emperor's picture is written in regular script, and there are different numbers of attendants, forming 13 groups of relatively independent figures, totaling 46 people.
Every emperor has a list of books, and some also record his reign year and attitude towards Buddhism and Taoism. The painter not only pays attention to depicting the same characteristics and temperament of feudal rulers, but also successfully shapes typical historical figures with outstanding personalities according to the political actions and different circumstances and destinies of each emperor, which reflects the author's evaluation of these emperors.
Since the Northern Song Dynasty, it was designated as Yan's work in the early Tang Dynasty. After the picture scroll, there were many inscriptions in the Northern Song Dynasty, which were silk, followed by the Southern Song Dynasty, which were paper and silk tail.
Why did the maps of emperors of past dynasties choose these thirteen emperors, including three in the Three Kingdoms period, and none of them was a unified dynasty except Han, Jin and Sui? Is it confusing?
To answer this question, we must first look at when the imperial maps of past dynasties were created and what is the background of their creation. Legend has it that the author of this painting is Yan. It is a legend, because only the inscription and postscript of Fu Bi in the Northern Song Dynasty can prove the author of this painting, referring to "Yan" and his "portrait of the emperor". As there is no other evidence, we think this painting was made by Yan, and it can be said with certainty that this painting was made before the Northern Song Dynasty.
So who is Yan? Many people have heard of Bujitu written by Yan, who was a figure in the early Tang Dynasty. After more than 300 years of war and division in the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, China was reunified in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. This period is another peak of the unprecedented development of China culture after the Han Dynasty, and it is highly prosperous in politics, economy, religion, calligraphy, literature, poetry and painting.
Paintings depicting ancient emperors appeared as early as the pre-Qin period and became a popular theme after the Han Dynasty. The creative intention of Yu Tu is to let the rulers "see good and abstain from evil, see evil and think good" and play a role in maintaining the rule. This is probably the motive of Yan's creation of the map of emperors in past dynasties.
The Tang Dynasty was also a confident and powerful dynasty. In order to alert the emperors, let the rulers "see good and abstain from evil, see evil and think of virtue" and play a role in maintaining the rule, so Yan chose these thirteen emperors to draw the maps of emperors in previous dynasties.
In fact, everyone knows these thirteen emperors very well. Whether it is Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, san huang in the Three Kingdoms Period, the four emperors of the Chen Dynasty, and Yang Di in the Sui Dynasty, they all have distinct characteristics, which can make rulers "see good and abstain from evil, and think good when they see evil". It can be said that if we take these thirteen emperors as mirrors, we can "dress up" an emperor well and govern the country well. This is the meaning of this painting.
Although the imperial maps of past dynasties still tend to be stylized, they are unconventional in characterization and appear distinctive in personality. We can see the emperor's character from the portrait, which is a great progress.
The author expresses the merits and demerits of 13 emperors according to their respective characteristics and "orthodox" evaluation, and puts his own praise and criticism attitude into writing. The painter tried to reveal the different inner world and personality characteristics of emperors by depicting their different facial expressions. Those monarchs who started the dynasty and established generations all embodied the "bearing of kings" and "majestic demeanor" in the painter's works, while those monarchs who were fatuous or perished showed a state of lewdness and mediocrity. Back in Gu Kaizhi, Yan blended in with magnanimity, using stiff and thick lines. When expressing the image of emperors, he is good at depicting the different personalities and temperament of different emperors through the eyes, brow and lips of characters, so as to express his evaluation of the behaviors and talents of emperors in previous dynasties.