Portrait of Emperor Sung T'ai-tsu
Anonymous, Sung Dynasty (960-1279)
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 191 x 169 cm

   Emperor T'ai-tsu, originally named Chao K'uang-yin, was founder of the Sung dynasty. Excelling in military strategy, he served as a general for the Latter Chou. When the Latter Chou was defeated in an attack, he gathered forces loyal to him and assumed the throne, calling his house the Sung, and thereupon defeated his rivals. He thus brought the chaos of the Five Dynasties period to an end.

   This portrait of T'ai-tsu shows him in imperial regalia. Chinese portrait painting emphasizes transmitting the spirit of the sitter, and Chinese physiognomy (the study of facial features) includes a type known as "imperial visage." Sung dynasty documents reveal that T'ai-tsu was so imposing that no one dared look him in the face. Even when Li Yu, a former Five Dynasties ruler, submitted to T'ai-tsu, he is said to have been struck by T'ai-tsu's imperial presence. This portrait conveys the impressive and wizened gaze of the Sung founder. A Sung text also mentions that all portraits of T'ai-tsu were painted by Wang Ai, a native of the capital. Whether this work was done by Wang or not is an issue that remains to be studied in further detail.