Hunan Museum finds overpainting traces on millennia-old silk painting
Yu Yanjiao, a researcher with the Hunan Museum, introduces new findings from the renowned ancient Chinese tomb Mawangdui in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge)
CHANGSHA (May 21): Chinese experts have discovered for the first time multiple instances of overpainting on the T-shaped painting on silk from the tomb of Lady Xin Zhui, a 2,200-year-old mummified aristocrat, according to a press conference held on Friday.
The Hunan Museum in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, conducted a materials-based analysis of the silk painting using techniques such as spectroscopy and surface topography measurement. The research utilized multimodal image acquisition methods, including multispectral-hyperspectral imaging and large-format X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.
The advanced technologies can aid in restoring texts and images without direct human contact with the artifacts, opening up new possibilities for cultural heritage preservation and the study of ancient documents, according to the experts.
The study examined the composition of the materials and ink, analyzed the pigments, ink imaging and distribution. The team identified traces of overpainting and also completed the image data acquisition of the artwork.
The T-shaped silk painting was unearthed from the renowned ancient Chinese tomb Mawangdui, the burial place of Lady Xin Zhui, wife of the chancellor of the Changsha Kingdom during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-8 AD).
The painting was created using a brush and richly colored pigments, and is divided from top to bottom into three sections, namely the heaven, the human world and the underworld.
The top section — the broadest part of the 'T' shape — depicts heaven, with Zhulong, a human-bodied, snake-tailed figure, at its center. To his left hangs a crescent moon, accompanied by a toad and Yutu (Jade Rabbit), while beneath the moon stands a goddess holding it aloft.
This undated file photo shows a section with traces of overpainting found on the T-shaped painting on silk unearthed from the tomb of Lady Xin Zhui, a 2,200-year-old mummified aristocrat. (Hunan Museum/Handout via Xinhua)
The newly discovered traces of overpainting include a jade Gui-tablet, originally held by the celestial gatekeeper in the heavenly section, of which only the underdrawing now remains; signs of the leopard beside the gate official being repositioned; and, in the human world section, a greater number of figures are shown performing rituals beneath the jade disc, according to Yu Yanjiao, a researcher with the museum.
Yu explained that the T-shaped silk painting was created using a brush, with outlines drawn first before coloring and other detailing. The overpainting may have been part of the artist's routine adjustments during the creative process.
However, despite its underdrawing, the unused jade tablet suggests another possibility that the painting might have been prepared well before Lady Xin Zhui's death. During this time, changed ceremonial practices may have affected the painting.
This undated file photo shows a section with traces of overpainting found on the T-shaped painting on silk unearthed from the tomb of Lady Xin Zhui, a 2,200-year-old mummified aristocrat. (Hunan Museum/Handout via Xinhua)
'In the painting, the gate official is depicted guarding the heavenly gate and also playing a role in receiving Lady Xin Zhui's soul as it ascends,' Yu said. 'Holding a jade tablet was once a highly formal ritual gesture, commonly seen during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221 BC). However, this ritual may have evolved by the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), and the jade tablet might no longer have been required during ceremonial practices.'
Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, as well as X-ray fluorescence, were once mainly used in fields like remote sensing, astronomy, agriculture, and forensics. Since 2022, the Hunan Museum has started using these technologies to study silk fabrics, manuscripts, and paintings.
The experts also discovered that four larger figures in the lower right cavalry formation of the painting on silk 'Procession of Chariots and Horses,' unearthed from Mawangdui, were added later through overpainting. – Xinhua ART China painting restoration
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