A king suspected his minister of treason and sent a painter to the man’s parties to find out. Gu Hongzhong came back with the guest list, the music, and the whole night on one scroll.
Han Xizai was a minister of the Southern Tang, and his king, Li Yu, doubted his loyalty. Gu Hongzhong watched the revels and drew them in five scenes: a pipa played, a dance watched, the guests spent. The painting is surveillance turned into art.
The scroll reads left to right like a night unfolding, each scene a room. Historians still argue whether Han Xizai was decadent or only pretending to be, to seem harmless. The painting outlived both the king’s suspicion and the Southern Tang itself.
Object details
| Name | Ink handscroll (顾闳中韩熙载夜宴图卷) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 新00147326 |
| Technique | Ink |
| Period | Imperial dynasty |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | Palace Museum Digital Collection (数字文物库) |
Image © The Palace Museum. View the original in the Palace Museum Digital Collection.