It is not a very common practice to inscribe text on portrait stones. Except for some personnel and chronological records that may have been requested by the family of the tomb owner, most of the inscriptions on the portrait stones were probably the work of the stoneworkers themselves. Archaeological relics scholars use them to determine the age of tombs, stone buildings, etc., and determine the identity of the tomb owners. The layout of portraits in the portrait stone tombs of the Han Dynasty is a concentrated expression of the people's worldview and outlook on life in the Han Dynasty. The records of the inscriptions in the Han Dynasty stone tombs will be analyzed in detail and in-depth from the aspects of content, use, inscription method and calligraphy conditions. Perhaps we can draw many new feelings and enhance our understanding of Han Dynasty society, especially the cultural level and skills of some lower-level craftsmen in the Han Dynasty. Therefore, let us first analyze the content and function of these inscriptions, which can be roughly divided into the following types:
First, commemorative inscriptions. A longer text describing the name and life experience of the tomb owner and adding some words of praise and exclamation. It is a calligraphy style used to mark the death of the tomb owner. For example, in the fifth year of Xinmangtianfeng in Tanghe (AD 18), the inscription by Yu Ping, Feng Junrujiu, was similar to the later epitaphs, and could even be said to be the forerunner of epitaphs.
The second is the early form of epitaph. These inscriptions may have been requested by the deceased's family. The inscriptions and inscriptions have the characteristics of epitaphs and can be described as early epitaphs. For example, there are inscriptions on Xu Aqu's tomb in Nanyang in the third year of Yongning in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 170). Literary research and archeology believe that these tomb inscriptions with inscriptions in the Qin and Han Dynasties are the origin of epitaphs, which are early epitaphs.
The third is the list of questions in the portrait story. This is a unique form of text description in ancient Chinese paintings, which lasts for a long time. It is to write the names of the characters in the story painting and simple storyline and other text descriptions in the blank space above the relevant characters, so that the viewer can understand the story content of the picture. The stone inscriptions on the portrait stone tomb of Yangguan Temple in Nanyang include "sun", "moon", "mountain", "water", "fire" and "Kuifu", which are related to the content of the portrait.
The fourth is about the note marks in the production of portrait stones. Such as recording quantity, location, etc. For example, the inscription "Next Third" in the Han portrait stone tomb in Tanghe Knitting Factory, the inscription "Hunumen" on folk loose stones in Fangcheng County, and the "North Fourth?" stone in the collection of Han Painting Museum, etc. These inscriptions are practical records carved by craftsmen while making the portrait stones. Some of them are on the back or side of the stone, not on the portrait, and most of them have nothing to do with the image content of the portrait stone.
The fifth is the name of the stone carving craftsman. For example, the inscriptions "Song Weijia", "Song Kejia" and "Hu Fang" on the Yangguanying Han Tomb are all written in official script and may be the names of the craftsmen.
Among the Han portrait stones excavated and collected in Nanyang, stone carvings have been found Less than one percent of the list contains inscriptions on the tomb of Feng Rujiu, Yuping Dayin of the Tang Dynasty, the stone inscriptions on the portraits of Xu Aqu Han Tomb in Li Xianggongzhuang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the portrait stone inscriptions on the Yangguan Temple Han Tombs, and the Han Tombs on the Western Slope of Dushan. There are also inscriptions on portrait stones. In addition, a Han portrait stone was unearthed in Fangcheng County, which was engraved with the three characters "Hunumen". There was also an inscription on the Weigong Bridge in Nanyang City with the character "Chen" and the inscription "Xia San" on the Han Dynasty Tomb of Tanghe Knitting Factory. etc. These inscriptions record the relevant circumstances of the tomb owner and provide rare information for the study of Nanyang Han portrait stone tombs.