Han Dynasty Tomb Painting – Picture Study & Art Exploration

This lesson introduces students to early Chinese painting traditions, focusing on a Han dynasty tomb painting depicting five noblemen in conversation. Students explore what visual art can reveal about ancient cultures, examine artistic techniques, and create their own plaster-tile painting inspired by Han materials and methods.

Read This! Last week’s post, on the Han Dynasty and their invention of paper, goes with this lesson perfectly!

Han Dynasty Tomb Painting – Picture Study & Art Exploration Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify key features of Han dynasty painting and its historical context.
• Analyze a primary source artwork and infer cultural information.
• Describe how ancient Chinese artists used line, ink, and composition.
• Recreate aspects of Han painting through a hands-on art activity.
• Demonstrate understanding through discussion, observation, and optional written assessments.

Materials

• Image of the Han tomb painting (five nobles)
• Computer or tablet for image display
• Sketch paper and pencils
• Chinese ink blocks or bottled black ink
• Brushes
• Pre-made plaster tiles (tray of plaster dried overnight)
• Water and mixing dish
• Optional: pigments for a light wash (yellow or ochre)

Take a look! Our Marco Polo Adventure Box and Ancient China Adventure Box are full of wonderful resources for a rich study into Asia, and more specifically China.

Han Dynasty Tomb Painting – Picture Study & Art Exploration

1. Introduction: Painting in Early China

Before the Warring States period, Chinese painting was primarily decorative, using spirals, zigzags, patterns, and stylized animals. Representational painting—where artists aimed to depict the world realistically—developed later, eventually leading to the belief that painting and calligraphy were the purest arts.

By the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), artists frequently painted human figures. Tomb paintings from this period provide valuable primary evidence about clothing, social roles, and cultural values.

2. Picture Study Activity

Step 1: First Impressions

Display the image and ask each student to share one observation.

Examples from our own lesson (see below):

• “Primary evidence”
• “The colors are faded”
• “They look like rich people wearing long belted gowns”

Discuss why the painting appears faded (natural pigments + age), and reinforce the meaning of primary evidence:

An object created at the time being studied that teaches us firsthand about that time.

Step 2: Guided Observation

Continue round-robin observations. Discuss together:

• Beards – stylized representation
• Hats and clothing – what these reveal about status
• Umbrella and staff – signs of rank or ritual
• Hand mufflers or sleeves – typical of Han court attire
• Gown trimmings – decorative but symbolic

Encourage students to hypothesize what each detail communicates about the nobles’ lives.

Step 3: Atmosphere & Social Clues

Discuss:

• The peaceful, respectful atmosphere
• Eye contact and body language
• What these gestures suggest about conversation during the Han era

Step 4: Artistic Techniques

Guide students in noticing:

• Perspective through size differences – smaller figures appear farther away
• Placement on the tile – higher placement suggests depth
• Variety in poses – some figures turned or facing away
• Use of ink lines – expressive, rhythmic brushwork typical of early Chinese figure painting

3. Hands-On Art Activity

Part A: Preparing the Surface

You prepared a plaster tile the night before. Students:

1. Sketch three figures on paper to practice shapes and clothing.
2. Mix ink from Chinese blocks (or use bottled ink).
3. Give the plaster tile a light yellow wash to mimic ancient pigments.

Part B: Painting

• Students sketch lightly onto the tile.
• They paint using ink and simple color accents, focusing on:
  • Delicate lines
  • Flowing clothing
  • Simplified but expressive faces and hands

Encourage them to replicate Han artistic choices—not modern realism.

Who is Marco Polo? {Medieval Explorer}, Marco Polo and the Silk Road, Marco Polo and the Mongolians and
The Travels of Marco Polo {Homeschool Lesson} are great go along lessons for any look into China

Vocabulary Words

Term	Definition
Primary Evidence	Objects or documents created at the time being studied.
Representational Art	Art that depicts real people, objects, or scenes.
Dynasty	A ruling family that governs for multiple generations.
Pigment	Natural substance used to make paint colors.
Composition	How elements are arranged within an artwork.
Perspective	Techniques for showing depth or distance.
Calligraphy	Decorative handwriting or brush writing, highly valued in Chinese art.

Discover more! Read about the geography of Ancient China

Suggested Readings

For Children

• The Han Dynasty (True Books: Ancient Civilizations) – by Earle Rice Jr.
• You Wouldn’t Want to Be in the First Emperor’s Court! – humorous and accessible.
• Ancient China and the Chinese Civilization – My First Look at History series.

For Read-Aloud or Older Students

• Tales from China – retellings of classic stories.
• The Story of the World, Vol. 1 – chapters on Ancient China.
• The Silk Road: Explore the World’s Most Famous Trade Route by Kathy Ceceri.

Make Your Own! Ancient Chinese Currency {& Qin Dynasty} Homeschool Lesson

Assessment Ideas

Informal / Discussion-Based

• Students describe what the painting teaches us about Han clothing and social structure.
• Students compare early ornamental art to representational Han art.
• Oral explanation of what primary evidence is and why this painting qualifies.

Written or Creative Options

• Short paragraph: “What can historians learn from this artwork?”
• Sketch challenge: Students draw a new figure in Han style using ink.
• Label diagram: Provide the painting and ask students to label clothing parts, objects, and composition features.

Project-Based Assessment

• Completed plaster tile painting, demonstrating:
  • Understanding of shape and line
  • Attempt to use Han-style composition
  • Careful observation of historical clothing

Learn More! Ancient Chinese Religions {Homeschool Lesson}

Extension Activities

• Research the tools of Chinese calligraphy (inkstone, brush, inkstick, paper).
• Compare Han dynasty artwork with Tang dynasty figure painting.
• Explore how geography influenced materials used for ink and pigments.

Our Han Dynasty Tomb Painting – Picture Study & Art Exploration

Prior to the Warring States Period of 475-221BC paintings tended to be ornamental rather than representational.  We had seen pottery with patterns or designs rather than pictures; for example spirals, zigzags, dots, or simple animals. It was only during the Warring States Period that artists began to represent the world around them. In imperial times painting and calligraphy in China were thought to be the purest forms of art.  They used a brush pen, made of animal hair, and inks made from naturally occurring minerals.

Tomb Painting of Five Nobles

Artists from the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) to the Tang dynasty (618–906) mainly painted the human figure.  Much of their work has been preserved in tombs and can help us learn more about these particular dynasties.  Our chosen painting was a tomb painting of five nobles.  We had done an exercise the day before, reading an ancient Chinese tale set in Han times and had discussed all the things we could learn about the Han people simply from hearing this story.  I decided to take a similar approach with this picture study.

Just Chatting About the Painting

I sat them down and brought up the image on the computer, and asked them to each tell me one thing they noticed.  T11 immediately said primary evidence, C10 said faded colours and L10 said rich people as she remembered from the story the day before that nobles wore long belted gowns.  We briefly discussed why it was faded (natural pigments, aged).  I asked them what the significance was of it being primary evidence, to which L10 answered ‘to teach us about the Han people, first hand’.  Excellent, this told me we were going in the desired direction.  And we continued one at a time noting something, which we all then discussed: the nobles beard, so stylised; their hats; their staff; the trimmings around their gowns; the ‘mufflers around their hands. 

We discussed the atmosphere and how peaceful it was; T11 commented that he thought they were speaking respectfully to each other as they were looking into each others eyes.  I asked them about the composition of the painting which lead to much discussion about how the painters had achieved depth and perspective (using size differences in the figures and their position on the tile, with two of them standing further up the tile) and also variety (some turned to side, others have back to us).

Check This Out! Ancient Chinese Writing System {Homeschool Lesson}

Han Dynasty Tomb Painting: Recreating The Picture

I had made up a large tray full of plaster the night before and left it to dry.  The next morning we made up some ink from our Chinese blocks and after sketching three of the figures, the children gave the plaster an all over yellow wash:

The children then made up all the other colours and took their painting outside.  I was fairly easy-going how they went about it.  They decided to paint one man each separately rather than getting in each others way:

This was not an in-depth study, and in fact only took an hour or so to complete, but was well worth it.

Check out all my homeschool History Lessons