Rare Books
Lingyange Gongchen Tu (Portraits of Meritorious Officials from the Lingyan Pavilion)
Illustrated by Liu Yuan; engraved by Zhu Gui. Suzhou Zhuhu Tang Edition in the 7th year of Kangxi Period (1668), Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had the portraits of 24 meritorious officials painted on the walls of Lingyange (Lingyan Pavilion) in his palace in Chang'an in recognition of their service and loyalty. During the Qing Dynasty, these 24 historical figures were illustrated by Liu Yuan in his Lingyange Gongchen Tu. Each of the 24 portraits was accompanied by a column of text at the right giving the official's name, their positions and titles of nobility. The woodblocks of the Lingyange Gongchen Tu were later engraved by the famous woodcraft artisan Zhu Gui of the Qing Dynasty.
