In the cultural relics unearthed from the Tang Qianling Mausoleum and its accompanying tomb in Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province, there are many dragon images, and these dragon patterns or patterns are important material materials for understanding and studying the shape and characteristics of dragons in the Tang Dynasty, especially in the early Tang Dynasty.
The side line engraved on the side of the Qianling wordless stele is "Teng (Sheng) Dragon Map".
The side of the Qianling wordless stele "Teng (Sheng) Dragon Map" (line drawing).
In the picture, the dragon is in the shape of a rise, looking back. From the details, the dragon's head has two horns, the two horns are slender and bifurcated, and the root is jagged; ears behind the horns, hairs on the margins of the ears; In front of the horn, the dragon's eyes are slender and the round eyes are bright. The dragon's mouth is wide open, and the long tongue is rolled up; The upper palate is elongated, the fangs are curved upward, the lower palate is short and bearded, and the teeth in the mouth are clearly visible. The dragon's neck has a geometric pattern around it, and there is a fire bead on it (some people call it a dragon ball).
There are two streamers on the dragon's shoulders, which seem to symbolize the wings. There are scales on the neck, body, legs, and feet, which are finely arranged, and the scales on the neck and abdomen are larger. The dragon has long fins on its back to its tail, separated by a backbone. The dragon's legs are thick and hairy. The dragon's front left paw is flared behind the head, and the front and right paws are propped downward; The rear left paw is supported upwards, and the right paw is pushed down; Except for the left paw, which is four toes, the other three paws are only three toes. The dragon's claws are large and thick, with sharp toenails. The dragon's tail is thick and long, and the right leg hangs down after the S-shaped inner circle. There are many auspicious clouds around the dragon's body. On the whole, the dragon has a fierce appearance, a vigorous body, and an extraordinary momentum.
Qianling stone carved wing horse base on the line carved "walking dragon map".
The "Walking Dragon Drawing" (line drawing) on the base of the Qianling winged horse
In the picture, the dragon looks back and travels. From the details, the dragon head has serrated double horns, and the double horns are slender; Leopard-eyed; The mouth is wide open, and the long tongue is protruding forward; The upper palate has sharp fangs, the lower palate has four teeth, and the palate has short whiskers; The dragon's neck has a geometric pattern around it, and there is a wish-like fire bead on it.
There are several streamers of different lengths on the shoulders of the dragon, which seem to symbolize the wings; dorsal with long fins to caudal; There are scales on the dragon's neck, body, and legs; The dragon's legs are thick and long, and there are hairs at the joints; The front and left legs are straight, stretching forward, the toes are parted, and the front and right legs are supported backwards; Bend your left leg and push forward, and your right leg back, straight kick.
Except for the four toes of the right paw that are clearly distinguishable, the other three paws appear to be three toes. The dragon's claws are large and thick, with sharp toenails. The dragon's tail is thick and long, dragging behind it.
Up and down the dragon's body, there are many horizontal ruyi clouds, and the front and back of the dragon body are equipped with entwined branches and leaf patterns.
On the whole, this dragon is the same as the flying dragon on the wordless tablet, with a fierce appearance, a vigorous body, struggling to move forward, a tiger and a tiger, but the dragon has three claws on the ground, and the state of the beast is more obvious.
The line engraved on the stone coffin of Princess Yongtai in the burial tomb of Qianling "Xinglong Map".
The line engraving on the stone coffin of Princess Tang Yongtai is "Walking Dragon" (line drawing).
In the figure, the dragon's head has two horns, the root of the horn is jagged, and the top is forked; The eyes are wide open, and they are bright; The long mouth is wide open, and the long tongue is protruding forward; There is a geometric pattern around the neck, on which there is a fire bead; There are four streamers on the shoulders, which seem to symbolize the wings of the dragon; dorsal with long fins to caudal and alternated by spine; The legs are thick and long, with flowing hair; The claws are large and thick, the nails are sharp, and the four toes are clearly visible on the right hind paw; The tail is thick and long, and the left leg is thrown backwards after going around the inside, and there is a fire bead at the base of the tail. Around the dragon's body, there are carved wish-like clouds.
The "Green Dragon Picture" in the mural painting of the tomb road of the Qianling Tomb
The tomb of Prince Tang Yide unearthed the "Green Dragon and White Tiger" (mural).
In the Qianling Tomb has been excavated several burial tombs, there are unearthed murals "Qinglong Map". They are all painted at the entrance to the left wall of the tomb road, opposite the white tiger on the right wall. Because the tomb is shallow to deep, and the upper part is close to the surface, the upper part of the dragon, mainly the head, has been destroyed, and only the lower part remains. From the remnants, it can be seen that the dragon is running in a running shape, walking among the auspicious clouds, which looks mysterious and extraordinary.
In addition, there are some dragon images and patterns in other cultural relics of Qianling, such as the high-relief dragon at the head of the wordless stele, and the dragon pattern in the 12 zodiac lines depicted on the epitaph of Princess Yongtai.
Qianling wordless monument (partial).
The characteristics of the dragon pattern in the cultural relics of Qianling
1.Dragons are mostly animal-like. For example, the green dragon in the mural of the tomb road, except for the head, the body, legs and claws are almost the same as the white tiger on the opposite wall.
2.The horns are elegant, and some have obvious forks.
3.There are various dragon eyes, including round eyes, phoenix eyes and oval eyes, all of which are bright and bright.
4.The horns of the dragon's mouth are particularly deep, the palate is long, and the tongue is as many as a hook and roll.
5.The dragon's neck is mostly decorated with a circle of geometric patterns, which is either complex or simple.
6.There are fire beads on the geometric patterns of the dragon's neck, and some have fire beads at the base of the tail.
7.The dragon has two wings on the shoulders, some like streamers, others like simplified eagle wings.
8.The scales are neatly arranged, fine, and grid-like, while some are scaleless.
9.The dragon's legs are strong and plump, and they appear strong and powerful.
10.Dragons have hairs on their abdomen, legs, and tail.
11.The dragon is decorated with long fins from back to tail, and many of them are lined with backbones, which are delicately arranged.
12.The dragon's claws are thick, three- or four-toed, not strict, and the toenails are sharp.
13.The tail of the dragon is in two parts with the body, and it is not integrated, and some of the tail is placed behind or slightly bent around the legs.
In general, the dragon in the early Tang Dynasty has a majestic image and a vigorous posture, and the overall impression is energetic and imposing, which is in line with the spirit of the times in this period.
The role and meaning of the dragon appearing in the tomb
About 10,000 years ago, dragons were born. The early dragons were not stereotyped, and their forms varied from each other.
Tang Li Shou tomb stone carved dragon pattern (rubbing).
Dragons appear in tombs, and their role and meaning are mainly in two aspects: first, they are auspicious. This type of dragon mainly appears on practical utensils, building components, such as bronze mirrors, Buddhist shrines, jade carvings, gold and silverware, silk, paintings, porcelain, etc., and other mascots such as phoenixes and unicorns, which appear as an auspicious beast.
Second, through the sky. This type of dragon mainly appears on carriers with special religious significance, such as the line carved dragon on the epitaph and sarcophagus, the relief dragon on the head of the stone tablet, and the green dragon in the mural, etc., which usually appear as divine beasts of Tongtian.
Specific to the dragon of various cultural relics in Qianling, the author believes that they appear as a divine beast through the sky, and the creator will engrave it here, which means that he hopes that the owner of the mausoleum will take the dragon to ascend to the immortal or become an immortal under the guidance of the dragon.
Tang Dynasty dragon pattern bronze mirror.
The dragon has been the symbol and symbol of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, and it has penetrated into the depths of the Chinese people's hearts and even all areas of real life with special divine meanings and totemic images. The image of the dragon in the cultural relics of the Tang Dynasty is a concrete testimony of the profound influence of traditional Chinese dragon culture on the funeral culture of the ancients.
*: Cultural relics Shaanxi Editor: Wang Yuanzhi.