Portrait of Ethnic Groups Along the Silk Road

In the early years of the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, many tribute missions arrived from regions surrounding the Tang, so the emperor ordered painter Yan Liben to depict the images of envoys along with texts describing the countries represented by these figures. This illustrated scroll is known as The Envoy with Tribute Bearers. Similarly, the Dunhuang murals, starting from Cave 220, which was built in 642, feature characters attending sermons in the Vimalakīrti Nirde?a Sūtra Illustration. These characters include kings, princes, and envoys from various countries dressed in different attire, showcasing the diverse ethnic groups along the Silk Road.

In this scene from the Vimalakīrti Nirde?a Sūtra Illustration of Cave 220, the original depiction showcases a situation with Vimalakīrti, a revered lay Buddhist, feigning illness at home, with the true intention of taking the opportunity to give preaching while kings, princes, ministers and elders from various countries visit to inquire about his health. In the painting, under Vimalakīrti's canopy, the kings, princes, and envoys attending the sermon exhibit diverse appearances, with varying skin tones and attire reflecting their ethnic characteristics. The person at the front of the line, with dark skin, hails from the South Sea, while those behind him in brocade robes come from the Western Regions, and those wearing feathered crowns are from the Korean Peninsula. The figures depicted in this work represent a diverse array of ethnic groups previously unseen in Dunhuang murals prior to the Tang Dynasty. Experts observe that Dunhuang artists crafted the figures based on the models brought from Chang’an to create an authentic portrayal of the various ethnic groups traveling along the Silk Road during the early Tang period, not only reflecting interactions between the Tang Dynasty and its surrounding cultures but also showcasing the exchanges among the various peoples along the broader Silk Road.

絲路各民族群像

貞觀初年，因周邊地區前來向唐朝朝貢，唐太宗命畫家閻立本繪制了各國使者的形象，并以文字敘述所繪人物的國家，這個圖文并茂的圖卷就是《職貢圖》。同樣，敦煌壁畫從初唐貞觀十六年（642）營建的莫高窟第220窟開始，《維摩詰經變》中前來聽法的人物就有身穿不同服飾的各國國王、王子和使者的形象，呈現出絲路各民族的群像。

第220窟的《維摩詰經變》的這一畫面，原本是表現維摩詰居士居家稱病，各國國王、王子、大臣、長者前往問疾的場景。畫中維摩詰居士帳下，前來聽法的各國國王、王子和使者，面貌各異，膚色和服飾盡顯民族特色。站在隊伍最前方的皮膚黝黑者來自南海諸國，其身后穿錦邊袍服者來自西域、戴鳥羽冠者來自朝鮮半島。畫面中的人物，實為唐代以前敦煌壁畫所未見的各族人物群像，應是敦煌畫師根據長安傳來的粉本加工而成，是初唐時期往來于絲綢之路上的各族人物的真實寫照。既反映出唐朝與周邊政權之間的交往，也展現出廣義絲綢之路上的各民族往來。