Artist: unknown
Title: The Fei-yi ("Flying Banner"), top section, detail of the central section
Material: pigment on silk
Site: from the tomb of the Marquise of Dai, at Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan.
Current Location:
Period/Date: ca. 180 B.C.E.
Iconography/Iconology: In the center of the painting is a representation of Marquise of Dai with members of her entourage and possibly her family paying respects to her. The group is depicted on a what is presumably a jade platform being carried aloft by the two dragons. The platform rises towards the jade gates of heaven depicted above.
Stylistic Comments: This is one of the earliest know examples of portraiture in Chinese painting. The central figure is a representation of the Marquise of Dai who is shown standing with the support of a cane. The identification of this figure is supported by the results of a medical examination of the exhumed body of the Marquise, which indicated that she suffered from physical conditions that would have required her to use a cane. In addition, among the fabrics found in the tomb is apparently the actual robe represented as being worn by the Marquise in the painting. Pictorially, there is an apparent rescession of space or depth developed through the technique of overlapping figures. This is especially apparent in the attendants behind the Marquise.
