唐章怀太子墓“东客使图”再研究——兼论新罗使臣身份与出殡吊唁图性质

Abstract

This paper reexamines the identities and iconographic nature of the figures depicted in the Eastern/Western Envoy Processions painted along the passageway of the Tomb of Prince Zhanghuai, excavated in Qian, Shaanxi during 1971–1972, through a comprehensive analysis of archaeological data, iconographic details, and textual sources. Drawing upon three interlocking chains of evidence—the stylistic features of attire such as the bone-ornamented crown, paired feather adornments and white ceremonial robes; the chronological framework (706–712 CE); and institutional documentation including the Honglu Si (鸿胪寺) function of “assisting at mourning rites” , Silla’s custom of “white mourning robes”, and the funerary practice of “sending off the dead with feathers” —the study argues that the fifth figure from the north in the Eastern Envoy Procession represents a Silla emissary dispatched for condolence rites. Through analysis of the hierarchical regulations on official attire and ceremonial tablets (笏制) in the 《旧唐书·职官志三》, 《新唐书·车服志》, 《舆服志》, it is concluded that both murals illustrate scenes from the prince’s state funeral—specifically, the procession and condolence ceremony — rather than diplomatic receptions or tribute audiences. By constructing a closed evidential loop between the “envoy’s identity” and the “scene’s nature” , this study corrects the prevailing interpretations identifying the envoys as Japanese, Bohai, or Goguryeo emissaries, and challenges the widespread classification of the murals as “greeting scenes”. Ultimately, it reveals the institutionalized representation of Tang-dynasty state funerary protocol and East Asian vassal diplomacy within the ritual and mourning context.