Hunan Embroidery. Hunan Embroidery Research Institute
216.5 × 111.5 cm, 1990s
A remarkably well-preserved T-shaped silk painting was unearthed from the Mawangdui tombs. Believed to have served as a funeral accessory to signify the deceased’s identity, this ceremonial textile was intended to guide the soul of the deceased toward the afterlife, symbolizing transcendence and eternal life. The image is structured into three cosmic realms—heaven, earth, and the underworld, reflecting ancient Chinese cosmological beliefs and ideas about the cycle of life and death. The upper register depicts celestial beings, such as the solar crow, the jade rabbit and toad in the moon, and goddess Nüwa, all surrounded by auspicious birds. In the middle section, the tomb’s occupant is shown walking westward, entering the realm of bliss. The lower register portrays the underworld, where an earth deity holds up the ground, beneath which lies the Yellow Springs (realm of the dead). This embroidered version faithfully follows the original structure and spirit of the painting, capturing both the funerary culture and spiritual worldview of the Han Dynasty. It stands as a vital material testimony to the visual culture, religious beliefs, and afterlife imagination of ancient China.