Drawing Water from the Well

Mural Painting in tomb of Dongshou, The Sixteen Kingdoms Period (304-439).

During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, there is a connection between the portraits of Dong Shou, a general of Former Yan, in his tomb and the portrait style found in the Anping tomb. The male figures in the paintings are depicted in a stiff and serious manner, engaged in official duties. In contrast, the female figures are portrayed vividly and lively. For example, in the tomb, Dong Shou's wife is depicted conversing with a female servant, while other women are shown cooking in the kitchen, fetching water from a well, or grinding rice with a mortar.

This piece is compiled from the Chinese edition of Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting by Foreign Languages Press and Yale University Press, translated by Chen Ying.