Title: Chinese painting - Qin (221–206 bce) and Han (206 bce–220 ce) dynasties | Britannica
Headings: Qin
(221–206
bce
) and Han (206
bce
–220
ce
) dynasties

Qin (221–206 bce) and Han (206 bce –220 ce) dynasties
From 220 to 1206 ce
Three Kingdoms (220–280) and Six Dynasties (220–589)

Content: The art of the Han dynasty is remarkable for its variety and vigour, which resulted from its foreign contacts, from the contemporary sense of being a united nation within which many local traditions flourished, and from the patronage of a powerful court and the new, wealthy landowning and official classes. Literature and poetry indicate that the walls of palaces, mansions, and ancestral halls were plastered and painted. Themes included figure subjects, portraits, and scenes from history that had an ethical or didactic purpose. Equally popular were themes taken from folk and nature cults that expressed the beliefs of popular Daoism. The names of the painters are generally not known. Artists were ranked according to their education and ability from the humble craftsmen-painters ( huagong) up to the painters-in-attendance ( daizhao ), who had high official status and were close to the throne. This bureaucratic system lasted into the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12). In addition to wall paintings, artists painted on standing screens, used as room dividers and set behind important personages, and on long rolls of silk. Paper was invented in the Han dynasty, but it is doubtful whether it was much used for painting before the 3rd or 4th century ce. Surviving Han paintings include chiefly tomb paintings and painted objects in clay and lacquer, although incised and inlaid bronze, stamped and molded tomb tiles, and textile designs provide further indications of the painting styles of the time.