The Wei and Jin painted tombs in Dunhuang predominantly served as founding tombs within the burial grounds of hereditary houses and eminent clans.Their most distinctive feature is extensive depiction of auspicious birds and mythical beasts on high screen walls,with"auspicious omens"imagery standing out in both subject matter and form.These images are not a natural continuation of traditional tomb iconography but were deliberately designed and displayed within a specific intellectual and cultural context.They are closely associated with ideas of a sage king receiving a mandate and auspicious omens descending from heaven,especially the idea of bestowing of texts and books,which are central themes in the chenwei(apocryphal texts)theories that had become significant since the Han Dynasty.By the late Han and Wei and Jin periods,the prominent families of Dunhuang had developed a sophisticated familial academic culture,with notable emphasis on the study of these apocryphal texts.The distinctive"auspicious omens"imagery prominently displayed on the tomb screen walls is a reflection of this familial cultural tradition.
DunhuangWei and Jin Painted TombAuspicious OmensChenwei(Apocryphal Texts)TheoryHereditary Houses and Eminent Clans
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