Artist: unknown
Title: The Fei-yi ("Flying Banner"), top section, detail of the lower 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: The creatures of the underworld and the preparation of the funeral feast on the earthly realm are depicted in this section of the painting. From the earliest of times in China, family members honored the deceased through offering food and wine at feasts. In the foreground, directly above the platform held aloft by a creature of the underworld, are a row of vessels of the types found in tombs. The coffin of the lady with members of her family seated in two rows under a canopy designed to resemble a jade chime, are seen behind the row of vessels.
Stylistic Comments: The overlapping of figures as well as defined grounds (foreground, middleground and background) suggest perspective and depth. The scale if the figures is manipulated as well to suggest recession in space.
