Asian Studies: Meaning and Transformation of Chinese Funerary Art during the Han and Wei Jin Nanbei Periods

Edited by: Nataša Vampelj Suhadolnik
Published by: Ljubljana University Press, Faculty of Arts
Asian Studies Volume 7, issue 2 (2019)

This special issue of the journal Asian Studies is dedicated to the meaning and transformation of Chinese funerary art during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) and the subsequent Wei Jin Nanbei period (220–581 CE). It explores how the choice of material, form, and ornamentation could sometimes determine the iconographic and religious aspects that were given greatest prominence in the construction and interior design of tombs. Although a standard iconography and uniform stylistic features developed in Chinese funerary art over time, regional variations can still be observed: these are the result of “localization” of the original motifs as they acquired various local features. Accordingly, this issue also investigates how motifs were transformed across different artistic media and adapted to meet specific needs at a time when certain beliefs were spreading from the Chinese cultural core to its peripheries.

For the whole issue available online, please click here.