Decoding the Silent Comments: A New Study of Thirteen Emperors

波士頓美術館藏的《十三帝王圖》（傳閻立本）是一幅繪有唐以前十三位帝王的珍貴早期人物畫。對於這幅重要的繪作，目前學術界還有很多未解的疑團。比如此畫中既繪有聖主明君，但同時也有聲名狼藉的昏庸君主。畫家是以怎樣的標準從早期中國歷史中的數以百計的帝王中選出這十三位入畫，并又因何緣故將他們畫成各種形態這樣重要的課題從十二世紀被提出至今，學界仍未找到合理的答案。本文基於對《十三帝王圖》細緻入微的觀察和對相關文獻的全面考量，以一個新的視角來研究此圖，以試圖找到上述問題的合理解釋。雖然基於為尊者諱的原因，圖中帝王的外貌描繪有一些統一的美化成分，但畫家用了很多圖畫細節，比如君王和侍者的著裝，身體姿態，面部表情，以及人物間的互動，來闡述他這些帝王的看法。圖中的細節之間存在著有機的關聯，它們暗含了畫家對不同帝王政績的褒貶評論，其中著重突出了他對帝王沉溺宗教活動的批判態度。

關鍵字

帝王圖；唐朝；繪畫；宗教

並列摘要

Thirteen Emperors, attributed to Yan Liben, is a rare early Chinese painting that includes “portraits” of thirteen pre-Tang rulers. Important as it is, many questions remain unanswered. The one that puzzles modern scholars the most is the logic by which the artist selected and then grouped the included rulers. Scholars have not been able to understand why the artist painted wise and capable rulers side by side, and whether there were specific reasons for the various portrayals of them. Based on a careful examination of Thirteen Emperors and extensive study of related textual records, this article offers a new perspective to understand this famous painting. It is suggested that although the kings were all portrayed with certain physical idealizations, the artist provided clues to his comments and judgment of them as rulers through various visual details, such as the kings and their followers’ attire and posture, the interaction among the figures, and their facial expressions and activities. A careful study of these details and the accompanying inscriptions suggests a close correlation between the way these kings were portrayed, their attitude toward religions, and their political performance. It is argued that Thirteen Emperors is encoded with specific political comments and criticism, especially regarding a ruler’s addiction to religious.