The Many Facets of Time and Space in Premodern Paintings
This historical event is recorded in both Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) and Book of Han (Hanshu), with differences in their descriptions of Emperor Wen’s anger. The Records of the Grand Historian notes, “The emperor was also angry, rose, and returned to the inner palace,” whereas the Book of Han does not mention this retreat. The Song dynasty court artist may have drawn upon other texts like the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government (Zizhi Tongjian).
Regardless of which text or version of the story the artist referenced, many elements had to be creatively filled in to complete the painting. Narratively, the painting skillfully merges events from different times into a single hanging scroll scene, depicting Yuan Ang’s remonstration while also hinting at the cause of the conflict and the ideal resolution—the emperor accepting the counsel. Despite chairs not existing in the Han dynasty, the artist used contemporary seating to illustrate the story’s central dispute. Moreover, since the original royal garden Shanglin Park no longer existed, the artist had to reconstruct it imaginatively.